Two Mothers Meet in a Park
by readingstarr13
Summary: Emma Swan and Regina Mills are brought into each other's lives through their respective children. Both fluff and drama ensue.
1. Chapter 1

"Hey."

"Hey," Regina replied quizzically, looking up from her book.

"Sorry. You're Lucy's mom, right? Emma extended her hand in greeting across the bench to where Regina sat.

Regina slowly closed her book using her finger as a makeshift bookmark before cautiously shaking the proffered hand. "Yes…?"

"Hi, I'm Emma Swan. Henry's mom."

Regina slid a little closer to the adjacent bench that Emma now occupied. "Oh well this makes sense now. I was wondering why my daughter wanted to come to this particular playground when we live closer to at least two others. And now that question is answered." Regina grins as she turns her head to watch her daughter play with Henry in the sandbox.

"Yeah," Emma chuckled. "They've become fast friends. She's kind of all he can talk about lately."

Regina laughed in response. "Same here. Well it's good that they'll have a friend to go into Kindergarten with, I guess."

"Yeah," sighed Emma. "I still can't believe that he's already in pre-Kindergarten. Soon these half days will become full days of real school. I don't know if I'm ready for him to leave me yet."

"I know," agreed Regina. We certainly can't keep them from growing up, but I'm really going to miss my little helper. I know I shouldn't say this but I wish that they'd never get older and had to go to school. Although don't get me wrong, my daughter's education is very important to me."

"Oh I'm sure," Emma responds.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh no, I just meant I'm sure it is with you being a librarian and all."

"Uh…should I be worried that we've just met yet somehow you seem to know a lot of information about me?"

"No, I don't mean to sound like a creepy stalker or anything. Henry's always telling me that 'Luce's mommy works where they keep all the books.' So I just put two and two together and figured that that's what you do because of where you work. You know at the library where you work. I presume as a librarian. Or you could be the director or the children's librarian. But I'm pretty sure that's Belle because Henry and I are over there all the time for those awesome programs that she has. But I'm sure you know all about that," Emma continued to ramble. She looked down embarrassed by her almost incoherent defense of her previous statement.

"Hmmm. That's funny," Regina replied lightly. Emma's head whipped up quickly from thinking that she has indeed made a fool of herself, but Regina continues apparently ignoring Emma's word vomit, "She only lets her family and close friends call her by that nickname. I guess they really are good friends." She looked over and gave Emma a small, genuine smile.

Emma slowly exhaled, relieved that she hadn't made too much of a social error. For some reason, this beautiful woman made her completely nervous. She was surprised Regina didn't feel how clammy her hand was upon their initial introduction. Henry and Lucy had been playing together for a good fifteen minutes before Emma had decided to finally walk over and introduce herself to her son's new best friend's mother. Henry had mentioned that Lucy's mom was really pretty but she hadn't really believed him. He was four. How would he know how to judge a person's attractiveness? Had she known that she would be meeting such a stunning woman, she would have worn something more respectable than her holiest, oldest faded jeans and probably the oldest, most worn hoodie that she owned. Although, in her defense, it was laundry day, but how was Regina supposed to know that? First impressions were very important. Something she learned, oddly enough, from growing up in the foster care system. As she got older and older and was moved from home to home, she saw her chances of getting adopted slim dramatically. That was until she was lucky enough to meet Ingrid, her mom.

Regina was immediately intrigued by Henry's mother. I guess that's why she took her proffered hand before she even properly introduced herself. Emma was one of the most gorgeous women Regina had ever seen. Even though she was dressed very casually in overly worn clothing, Regina could see the beauty that lay beneath them and found her style to be endearing. Maybe it was laundry day. Who knew? Either way, she was not expecting to be sitting next to and making conversation with a woman whose every laugh or smile made her heart skip a beat. Emma had moved to sit on the same bench as Regina, after respectfully asking to do so. She said she thought it was weird that their children were practically inseparable but their mothers couldn't share one park bench.

Upon that acknowledgment, Regina had suggested that their children have a playdate at one of their homes. Emma immediately agreed before even working out the logistics. Why would she not jump at the chance to spend more time with the gorgeous Regina Mills in a slightly more intimate setting?


	2. Chapter 2

Regina looked around her already impeccably cleaned home. She wanted to make a good impression for Emma. They probably wouldn't sit in the playroom with the children as they enjoyed their time together and would end up in either the kitchen or the living room chatting. But she tended to clean when she was nervous yet no cleaning currently needed to be done. It was almost time for the Swan family to come over when she called out for her daughter to come down and wait to greet them with her upon their arrival.

"Luce, honey! Where are you?! It's almost time for your friend to arrive!" Regina yelled to no particular part of the house.

"In my playroom mommy! Just getting stuff ready for me and Henry!" Luce responded.

"Okay. Just come downstairs when you're ready then." Regina smiled as she imagined her daughter putting everything perfectly into place just for her and Henry to mess her toys and stuffed animals up again when they began to play. She went to sit in her comfy chair in the living room to read a few pages of her book as she awaited their company.

* * *

Emma stood in front of the mirror in her room trying to decide what to wear to make a better impression than the last time. She wanted to be casual but not too much so. Luckily the laundry was done now so she had no excuse to not wear something a little nicer to meet her son's bestie and his mom for an official playdate. She decided to go with dark skinny jeans, a loose fitting green blouse to bring out her eyes and her tall black leather boots. She applied light make-up. She didn't want to seem too desperate but she also needed the confidence from knowing that she looked good. She didn't know why she was so nervous. They had struck up a nice conversation at the park about nothing in particular. They had talked mostly about their children and the adventures of single motherhood in general. But nothing too personal had been discussed. So at this playdate, Emma looked forward to being able to get to know Regina a little bit better. And to see where things went from there. She was assuming that they would be alone together because it would be weird to just stand around and watch the children as they played, right? Emma had no idea. This was actually the first playdate that she had ever gone to. She was ecstatic with the fact that Henry had actually made a friend his own age. Usually he was surrounded by adults when he wasn't at school or at a children's program at the library. While Emma did her work as a bounty hunter in Boston and before Henry had school she would just leave him with Mary Margaret at the office while she did her work. If the office closed before she had successfully caught her skip she would just have her mom, Ingrid, pick Henry up and she'd get him from her house whenever she was done. Luckily her mother worked from home as a Reference Librarian Consultant. Emma never really understood what that was; all she knew was that her mother didn't keep very restrictive work hours and that she absolutely loved her job.

Emma had originally decided to move to the suburb of Storybrooke, right outside of Boston, in order to be closer to her mother but still be able to take on jobs in the city once she graduated from Boston University. So far, it had really worked out for her. She had a knack for finding people. A talent she decided to take advantage of after she met her boss, David Nolan, at a job fair at school. Emma had been about to graduate with a major in business and a minor in English Lit with no idea of what she wanted to do career-wise. She just happened to stop at David's table and strike up a conversation with him about what exactly a bounty hunter was. The only reference she had beforehand was of _Dog the Bounty Hunter_ , one of her guilty TV pleasures. Something about enforcing the law but not having to go to the police academy to do so appealed to Emma and she decided to take David's business card and pamphlet. Once she got out of school and was still pretty directionless, she gave him a call and after a trial run she accepted the position. Bringing down a guy that was twice her size though was still less intimidating to Emma then this playdate and the prospect of being alone with Regina Mills.

She didn't know why she had all these feelings about a woman that she had met only once. Who knew if Regina even liked women but Emma knew herself well enough to know that you couldn't judge a person by their cover. So she would see if the vibes that she was getting from Regina at the park were not just one-sided and in her imagination. But she also didn't want to screw things up for Henry. So she had to be careful today. All of these thoughts and much more were running through her head when she was startled by Henry as he called out to her from her doorway.

"Mooooommmy. You ready to go yet?"

"Yeah kid. Hold your houses. I'll be right there. I'm just trying to look nice for your friend and her mom. From the address they gave us they definitely live in the nice part of town. So I'm just trying to look my best but not like I'm trying too hard." Emma interrupted her nervous rambling as she turned away from the mirror towards Henry and asked for his opinion. "What do you think, kid?"

"I think you talking like you nervous or something but you look really nice. K, can we go now mommy? We don't wanna be late!"

"How would you know? You don't even know how to tell time yet…," Emma huffed as she took one last glance at herself in the mirror and joined Henry to grab their things so they could leave.


	3. Chapter 3

Emma took a deep breath as she stepped out of her yellow Volkswagen Beetle. Though she took good care of her older model car, it looked a little out of place parked behind what she assumed was Regina's vintage Mercedes Benz in the driveway. But she quickly got past that fact as she walked to other side of her car so she could unbuckle Henry from his car seat. He was so eager to get out once he knew they were finally there that he almost kicked her in the face from pure excitement.

"Yay. I can't wait to play with Luce!" Henry exclaimed as he held Emma's hand and they walked up to the front door. Emma looked down at Henry and smiled before taking another deep breath as she rang the doorbell. She used her free hand to smooth down the front of her shirt and jeans before nervously putting her hand into the pocket of her favorite red leather jacket.

The door swung open and they were greeted by a smiling Regina Mills looking gorgeous in a blue dress that Emma had no idea who the designer was but could tell that it was probably super expensive. It hugged her body perfectly in all of the right places. Emma had to stop herself from staring and visibly drooling as she cleared her throat before replying back with a simple hi.

After she answered and opened the door with a huge smile on her face, Regina almost immediately noticed Emma staring at her pretty much uncontrollably. She had to admit to herself that she actually had to stop herself from practically running to the door when she initially heard the doorbell ring.

"Hi Emma. Hi Henry. Please, come in." She opened the door further and stood behind it in order to allow Emma and Henry to pass through the doorway. As soon as they were in the house and Regina had closed the door behind them, they all simultaneously looked up towards the stairs as Lucy came tumbling down them screaming, "HENRY, YOU HERE!" When she reached the bottom she ran over to him and gave him a tight hug. Henry could hardly react as his arms were then trapped straight down by his sides as Lucy continued to engulf him excitedly. Emma had barely released his hand in time for Lucy's hello hug. Regina laughed loudly at her daughter's reaction to her friend and Emma swore she was about to faint from hearing the melodious sound of Regina's deep laughter.

"Well do you two want a snack before you head up to Luce's playroom?" Regina asked.

"Nope!" the toddlers answered in unison as Lucy took Henry's hand and dragged him up the stairs behind her before either of the adults could even react.

They both smiled at the immense cuteness they had just witnessed as their gazes naturally followed the children as they ascended the stairs. When they were finally out of sight they both hesitantly glanced at each other.

"So...," Emma began as she stood there with her hands in her jean pockets.

"Would you like anything to eat? Or perhaps a cup of coffee or tea?" Regina inquired.

"Sure. Coffee sounds great."

"Good. I just put on a fresh pot for myself. It's this way."

Emma followed Regina thru the living room and into the kitchen, all the while distracting herself from staring at Regina's ass by taking in her surroundings and looking at the well decorated yet comfy home that Regina had.

"Oh I forgot to ask, did you want decaf or regular?" Regina asked as she picked up the pot and made to fill her and Emma's mugs.

"Regular's good, thanks. You drink decaf?"

"No but my sister and her husband do. They've been here a lot lately. They're starting their own business together and they've been taking advantage of having a librarian in the family to help them do research and write up their business proposal." Regina handed Emma her mug as she turned towards the refrigerator to get out some cream. "Do you take any cream or sugar?" she asked as she turned back to where Emma was standing near the island.

"Uh...yes. Actually I like a little milk and sugar in mine. Doesn't matter what type of milk though," Emma responded.

Regina turned around mid-step and went back to the refrigerator to grab the milk for Emma. She then joined her at her island. As she handed her the plastic jug, she noticed that she was still wearing her jacket. "I'm sorry. Would you like me to take your coat? I forgot to ask you earlier. I guess I was distracted by my daughter's greeting to your son," Regina chuckled.

"Oh yeah...sure." Emma quickly shrugged off her jacket and handed it Regina. Although she felt a little naked now. She kind of viewed her favorite jacket as her armor. She wore it everyday to work and it was one of the first big purchases that she was able to buy for herself out of college. But she figured she would probably be here for awhile and it would be both rude and weird if she continued to where it inside like she had somewhere that she needed to be sometime soon. Nope. She was looking forward to spending this playdate with her newest crush.

Regina took Emma's nicely worn red leather jacket from her and admired it as she proceeded to excuse herself so that she could deposit it in the hallway closet just off of the foyer. As she walked there and back to the kitchen she again analyzed how attracted she was to this woman. She wasn't quite sure if her attraction was one-sided but from the way that Emma had clearly ogled her when she had greeted them at her door, she sort of had the inclination that there was something there. Although, Regina was modest, she knew how pretty others perceived her to be. So maybe Emma was just doing to Regina what had been done to her her entire life and was just admiring the view. Either way, she didn't want to make a move, especially so quickly, because she didn't want to ruin this new friendship for her daughter. Other than her sister, Zelena's, children whom Lucy saw and played with almost everyday, Regina didn't know of any other children that Lucy knew and liked well enough to call her actual friend. Of course she interacted well with the other children she encountered at Belle's numerous children's programs at the library, but now that Regina thought about it, Lucy didn't really have any friends her own age. There weren't any other toddler-aged children in their neighborhood and until she had begun school recently, Regina had been lucky enough that she was allowed to just take Lucy to work with her. Her director and boss, who also happened to be her best friend, Kathryn, was very understanding and figured it wasn't a big deal since they worked in such a small community library.

Regina was so lost in her thoughts that she almost bumped right into Emma when she finally returned to her kitchen. Emma had grabbed Regina by her biceps in order to stop the women from colliding into one another.

"Woah. Oh no that's my bad. You were gone for so long I was about to come search for you. I thought you'd somehow gotten lost in your own house."

"Oh, no worries, dear," Regina responded as Emma released her and she immediately made to smooth out her dress. " _I'm_ sorry. I didn't realize I had been gone for so long. I guess it's a good thing you put your coffee down before you decided to come search for me or we would have made quite the mess."

Emma chuckled, "Yeah. Good call."

The two women stared into each other's eyes for a split second too long before Regina cleared her throat and said, "So why don't we grab our cups of coffee and go check in on the children. After that we can sit in the living room and get to know each other a little better...?" Regina found herself slightly squinting waiting for Emma's response.

"Yeah. Sounds great," Emma answered enthusiastically. She couldn't believe how well this was going so far. And she'd pretty much get the chance to talk more intimately with Regina right away. This could not be going any better right now. Except for the whole almost slamming her entire body into her host, her awkwardness level was forgivingly low at this point.

Regina's heart skipped a beat at Emma's excited response. She also suddenly realized that she was in love with Emma's smile. Then she immediately realized that she needed to get a grip before her gay started to show right through her.

She walked past Emma to grab her mug from the island. Emma followed suit and then walked closely behind Regina as she lead the way back through the living room, up the stairs and to Lucy's playroom. The door to which was adorably decorated in felt letters surrounded by other little decorations. For some reason, the door was closed which was a no no in the Mills residence. This immediately both worried Regina and peaked her interest as she frowned upon opening the door to find the room empty of both children. "Lucy? Henry?" she called out confusedly as she entered the room. She then heard giggling from within the closet at the back of the room. Regina turned and gave Emma a look as Emma shrugged her shoulders in response but also sported a small grin.

Emma knew exactly what was going on. It seemed that Henry had quickly talked Lucy into playing hide and seek with the adults. A game which she and him played regularly at their apartment. Henry's new favorite hiding spot was any closet he was closest too. Emma figured the two children must have heard their mothers making their way up the stairs and decided to begin a quick game without them knowing.

Regina caught on pretty quickly though and then proceeded to play along. She took off her high heels and tiptoed towards the closet as she mockingly said, "Wow, Emma. Where could our children have gone? They said they were going to be in Lucy's playroom but it looks like they've somehow disappeared."

Emma walked lightly behind her and responded, "I don't know. It must be some kind of magic. Let's look around for clues so that we can find them." She winked at Regina as she saw a dresser to set her coffee down on. Regina did the same. Then they both moved to stand in front of the closet together. They quietly grabbed the knobs of each sliding door before looking at each other and nodding their heads. Emma mouthed a countdown to three before both women simultaneously opened the doors to reveal the two giggling children. They squealed at them before running past them into the room. The women gave chase to their respective children. Regina snatched up Lucy in her arms and gave her kisses on her cheek while Emma proceeded to tickle Henry when she caught him. Both children's squeals of delight and laughter filled the room as the mothers showered them with love.

"Stop it mommy!" Henry squealed as his mother currently had him pinned to the ground tickling his sides.

Regina had begun to blow raspberries on Lucy's cheeks as she spun her around still held tightly in her arms. After about a minute of this, both mothers released their children. Regina put Lucy down and Emma let Henry up from the carpet. The two children immediately ran to each other upon their release and then sat right down on the floor with some already pulled out toys to continue playing.

The two mothers just looked at each other and smiled before grabbing their coffee mugs again.

Regina addressed Lucy, "Okay, honey. We're going to go back downstairs and leave you two to play. Make sure you let us know if you need anything."

"Okay. Thank you, mommy," Lucy responded without making eye contact with Regina as she continued to play with Henry.

"You too, Henry," Emma piped up. "Have fun, kid."

Henry actually looked up from what he was currently doing to offer Emma a quick smile. "Okay mommy."

The two women then left the room, Regina walking behind Emma and making sure to leave the door open. As they descended the stairs, Regina found herself checking Emma out from behind. She hadn't realized how good those jeans looked on her before. She shook her head and told herself to get a grip and be more respectful.

Emma tentatively made her way back to the living room. She went towards the couch and just stood there, suddenly unsure of what to do. "Is it okay to sit here...?" She turned around to ask Regina.

"Sure. I'll join you in a minute. I just want to warm up my coffee. It's gotten cold. Would you like me to do the same for yours?"

Emma took a quick sip and realized that her coffee was indeed a little on the cold side. "Yeah actually. Thanks." She handed her cup to Regina before taking a seat on the couch. After Regina left the room, she found herself with nothing else to do but look at her surroundings. This actually made her come to the realization that she had left her phone in the car. She quickly noticed that the room was filled with family photos. Emma observed pictures filled with Regina and Lucy surrounded by an elderly couple who she assumed to be Lucy's grandmother and grandfather. The resemblance between the older woman and Regina was almost uncanny. There were also some with a tall red-haired woman and a dark haired man and two other children. Emma guessed that maybe this was the sister and husband that Regina had mentioned earlier. Most of the remaining pictures had some blonde-haired woman in them who weirdly enough looked familiar to Emma but she couldn't figure out why.

Just as she was contemplating this, Regina returned with both cups of coffee newly warmed as evidenced by the steam Emma could see rising off of them. She handed Emma her mug and then joined her on the couch. Both woman immediately took sips as they glanced at each other over the cups' rims. Emma was the first to look away as she pointed to one of the photos with the blonde woman and asked, "If you don't mind me asking, who is that?"

Regina finished her sip and looked in the direction that Emma was pointing in. "Oh that's my best friend, Kathryn."

"This may sound a little weird, but I feel like I know her or I've met her already or something," Emma replied.

"Oh. Well that's probably because you've seen her around at the library. She the director there. Although now that I think about it, I don't know how I've never seen you there. Maybe I didn't know it was you who I was looking at."

"Oh believe me I would've definitely remembered you if I'd seen you there," Emma let slip as she took another sip. When she realized that she'd said that out loud she immediately winced and hoped that Regina couldn't see how much she was blushing.

Regina's eyes widened a little at Emma's statement. She then smirked and decided to let it go so as not to embarrass Emma any more than she already was as evidenced by the dark shade of red her cheeks and neck had suddenly turned right after her statement. Instead she quietly chuckled and proceeded to ask, "So do you take Henry to a lot of the children's programs there or visit the library often for other reasons?"

Emma was relieved at Regina's obvious reprieve and responded, "I mean not as much as I'd like to but I try to get Henry over there for as many of those programs as I can. They're so awesome."

"Yes. Our children's librarian, Belle, does an excellent job with them. She's so passionate about our youngest patrons. So that really helps."

"Yeah I find that if I can't take Henry myself I'll get my friend, Ruby, to take him. Although Ruby has her own motivations for going with him most times." Emma turns more towards Regina and waggles her eyebrows. "She's kind of got a crush on Belle."

Regina chuckles in response. "Well, Storybrooke can be a small world sometimes."

"Tell me about it," Emma said. "I told her to just go for it. At this point, she's just been pining for her since the summer when she first took Henry there."

"Hmmm. That's interesting. I didn't know that Belle was gay."

"Well she could be bi," Emma spouted right away, blushing as soon as she finished her sentence. She looked away from Regina in the guise of looking at another picture before clearing her throat and asking, "So. Are those your parents in those?"

Regina gave Emma a sidelong look before she answered, "Yes they are actually. How could you tell?"

"Well you look almost exactly like you mom, with just a hint of you dad," Emma responded.

Regina chuckled. "So I've been told. Though I'm surprised she doesn't look familiar to you as well."

"No she doesn't. Why should she?"

"Well because she's the mayor of our town."

"No shit! Really?!" Emma almost immediately closed her eyes and gritted her teeth out of pure embarrassment.

But Regina just laughed harder. "It's okay, dear. We're both adults here. And yes, she's been this town's mayor for as long as I can remember. My sister and I like to joke that either no one else wants the job or she's been in office for so long that no one else has the experience to beat her or to even try to at this point."

Emma physically relaxed her body before asking, "Oh. So you've lived here your whole life then? With you mom, dad, and sister?"

"Yes," Regina replied. "We actually have a younger brother too, Jefferson, but we don't hear from him too often. Although he only lives right in the city. He was always more of a city kid even though we grew up here. As soon as he graduated high school, he decided to go to college in Boston and hasn't looked back ever since. We all figure he's too busy living it up in the big city to bother coming home to visit his family."

Emma frowned. "Well that's a shame. I actually went to college in the city too. I ended up moving out here to be closer to my mom after I graduated and she got a house out here."

"So was it just you and your mother then? No siblings or other parent in the picture?"

"Well actually I grew up with dozens of brothers and sisters until my mom adopted me."

"Oh," Regina said quietly. She looked down at the mug she held in her lap unsure of what to say next.

"Hey, no. It's okay. I got a rough start in life being orphaned and all but I was really lucky when Ingrid found me. She was my last foster mother and I was her last foster kid. She adopted me when I was 14. To be honest with you, I don't really know what she saw in me but she's been my mom ever since then." Emma looked down at her own mug in her hands as she talked. Unable to see the pity in Regina's eyes as she relayed a little about her past. She rarely liked to talk about it because she knew that it made people uncomfortable but those were just the cards that she was dealt. As far as she was concerned it had all well worked out for her in the end so who cared how it all started?

"I can see what she saw in you," Regina responded quietly, still looking down at her lap. She looked up and smiled as she finished her sentence, curious to know if Emma had actually heard her.

Emma was indeed staring at her and she gave her a shy smile of her own. Their moment was interrupted by the sound of their children bounding down the stairs together.


	4. Chapter 4

Lucy beat Henry over to the couch where their mothers were sitting. "Mommy, mommy!"

"Yes, mija," Regina chuckled.

"Can me and Henry have a snack please?" she asked in between her panting from excitement.

"Of course, honey. What would you like?"

"Ummmm..." Lucy stood with one hand on her hip and the other tapping her chin in thought. "Peanut butter crackers and milk...?"

"Okay," Regina replied. "Is that okay with you, Henry?"

Henry who was standing a little behind Lucy eagerly nodded his head in the affirmative.

Emma couldn't help but chuckle at her son's response. "What do you say, Henry?"

"Yes please."

"And...?" Emma encouraged him.

"Oh yeah. Thank you, Ms. Mills." He then gave her the biggest smile he could muster.

"You're very welcome, Henry," Regina replied. "Such a polite young man," she continued as she shot a grin at Emma who was beaming with pride from her seat on the couch. "Well okay, mija. Do you want to go ahead and grab two packs of crackers from the pantry while Emma and I get you two your milk?"

"Yeah! Come on, Henry, follow me!"

"Okay!" The two ran off in the direction of the kitchen.

"They are too cute together," Emma commented as she and Regina both stood up to join their children in the kitchen.

"They are so adorable," Regina agreed. "I don't know if I told you this at the park, but I'm so happy and grateful that Lucy and Henry have become friends. She doesn't really have any connections with other kids her age except maybe her cousins. But they're both a few years older then her. So sometimes they get a little bored playing with her or think that she just wants to do 'baby stuff' as they put it."

"Really? But I thought she went to like all of Belle's programs. There's plenty of other kids her own age to interact with at those things I'm sure."

"Oh, she does go to just about all of those. But as soon as they're over she often either goes off to play and explore by herself or she immediately comes to find me. Usually she'll try to be as helpful as she can with whatever I'm doing at the time. And I guess I assumed that she'd make some friends at Pre-Kindergarten but no one that she's come home to tell me about until Henry."

"Hmmm." Emma listened as she completely empathized with Regina's sentiments. "This is actually my and Henry's first ever play date. I don't have any brothers or sisters and none of my friends or coworkers have any children Henry's age. He's kind of just surrounded by the adults in his life when he's not at school or at the library. But I guess there's just something about Lucy that he connected with. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm glad they've become such good friends too." She smiled at Regina as the two entered the kitchen to find their children already eating their snacks without milk and making a mess with the crumbs.

The mothers couldn't help but laugh at the sight. "Lucy," Regina admonished with a giggle. "You couldn't wait for us to get here so that we could help you into chairs and to have your milk along with your crackers?"

Neither child could answer as their mouths were currently filled with crackers. Emma answered for them after she finished laughing, "Apparently not."

* * *

Regina had ended up letting the toddlers finish their quick snack sans milk while the two adults just sat at the island watching them in amusement and chatting further. Upon finishing their snack, the two best friends immediately sprinted back up the stairs to continue their play time. Regina went to the pantry to grab a broom to clean up after the crumbs that the children had left behind. Emma helped by holding the dust pan as Regina efficiently swept up the mess.

Following their unexpected chore, the two women decided to return to the living room. They sat back in their previous spots in an awkward silence. Emma decided to continue asking Regina about her photos in an attempt to fill said silence. "So that red-head is your sister...?"

Regina looked up at the photo in question and smiled. "Yes, that's Zelena. She's only two years older than me."

"So were you two close then?"

"Yeah we actually were. Still are. I mean, we had our sisterly battles like any other teenaged girls. But we stuck by each other through most of it. It was actually nice to go to the same school as her."

"Storybrooke High, I'm guessing."

"Yup. Go knights!"

Emma laughed. "Wait...you weren't an athlete were you?"

Regina raised an eyebrow and scoffed at that. "And why would you say that exactly?"

"Oh no, I don't mean to offend or anything. I'm just saying that you don't really seem like the jock type to me."

Regina relaxed her facial features and chuckled. "Well you'd be right, dear. I was never really into sports. More like an academic and quite the bookworm. Zelena was head cheerleader though so I found myself hanging around the sports teams that she cheered for. That's actually how she met her husband, Robin. They're high school sweethearts. They've been together since their senior year when he finally got the guts to ask her out."

"Hmmm. That's nice. And those are their kids, I'm guessing?" Emma asked, looking at a different family photo with just the four of them in it.

"Yes," Regina replied. That is Roland. He's ten. And his little sister Robyn. She'll be 8 in October."

"Hey my birthday's then too. The 23rd," Emma beamed with pride. I'll be 26."

"Hmmm. We're the same age," Regina mused.

"Cool." Emma smiled at Regina.

Regina was just about to take the dive and ask Emma more about her childhood when she interrupted by a knock at the door. She looked confusedly in that direction before swiftly standing up to answer it. "I have no idea who that could be. I'll be right back, Emma." She sat her almost empty mug on the coffee table in front the couch before walking carefully towards the door. She just realized that she was still in her stockings after taking off her heels when they had gone to check in on the children. Making a fool out of herself by slipping and falling on the hardwood floor of her own home in front of her present company was not on her list of things to do today.

She was met in the foyer by Lucy and Henry who had just come down the stairs to also see who was at the door.

"Mommy, can I open it?" Lucy asked excitedly.

"Sure, mija," Regina chuckled. "That's okay since I'm standing right here."

"Grandma!" Lucy shouted as soon as she opened the door.

"Luce!" her grandmother, Cora, responded. "How's my favorite granddaughter?"

"Magnificent!" Lucy responded. "Wait...I your favorite? But what about Robyn?"

Cora decided to sidestep that question as she looked up at her daughter and said, "Hello my favorite daughter," as she smiled and stepped toward her for a hug and a kiss.

"Mom," Regina shook her head. "That's not fair."

"My dear, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but parents do indeed have their favorites," Cora whispered so Lucy wouldn't hear. "Luce, where did you learn that wonderfully big word?" she said more loudly, addressing her granddaughter.

"Ms. Bell at school taught us!"

"That's amazing," Cora commented as she crossed the threshold stepping into the house. She picked Lucy up to give her a kiss on the cheek. "And who's this handsome young man?" Cora asked, looking down and giving a smile to Henry.

"I'm Henry!" he loudly introduced himself. Emma had actually gotten off the couch and was now leaning against the entryway watching this whole exchange and waiting for her chance to introduce herself. She walked forward behind Henry and put her hands on his shoulders. Henry looked up and back at his mother. "And this is my mommy."

Emma chuckled as she extended her hand in greeting. "Hello Madame Mayor, I'm Emma."

Cora switched Lucy to her other hip in order to extend her hand to take Emma's. "It's a pleasure to meet you. And it's just Cora today. I'm off duty on the weekends, dear."

Regina grinned at the exchange. "So Mom, what brings you by today. You didn't call or anything."

Cora smiled at her daughter. "No. I'm sorry I just wanted to drop by and see if you were busy today. I was going to stop by the farmer's market for a few things and thought that you might like to join me."

"Yeah! I love going with grandma to the market! Can we go mommy?"

"Well...I don't know, mija. We still have company," Regina replied.

"That actually sounds like fun," Emma said. "They've been playing here for awhile now. Why don't we just join you and we can continue our playdate there?"

"Are you sure?" Regina asked. "I don't want to make you feel obligated to do anything you don't want to."

"It's totally cool. How does that sound to you, Henry?" Emma asked as she looked down to address her son.

"If I get to be with Luce some more, then I don't care if we go," Henry responded.

"Then it's settled," said Cora.

"Okay then," Regina replied. "Luce let's go get your coat and I'll get mine and my shoes. Then we can all go together. How does one car sound? Mom, do you mind driving us all?

"Sounds like a plan, dear. I had already intended on doing so."

"Okay. Great. Actually Luce, honey, would you mind running upstairs and grabbing mommy's shoes for her? I left them in your playroom."

"Okay!"

"Emma I'll go and grab your coat from the closet. And I'm assuming that Henry shed his coat upstairs in the playroom...?" Regina asked.

"Yeah I guess so," Emma replied. "Henry do you want to run upstairs and grab you jacket so we can go?"

"Yeah!" Henry responded before sprinting up the steps to go get his coat.

"Hey, slow down a little kid!" Emma called after him.

"Oh, he'll be fine," Cora commented. "They're very durable at that age."

"Yeah I guess so but he's not used to those hardwood stairs. We just usually take the elevator up to our apartment and we only have carpet. And I'd rather join you at the farmer's market than have you accompanying us to the hospital."

Cora chuckled in response to Emma's sentiments. Soon after, the two best friends were tumbling down the stairs together again. Each of them holding one of Regina's shoes. Regina had just returned wearing her coat and handed Emma her jacket. She bent down to take her heels from the children. "Thank you so much. Good teamwork you two!"

"You welcome, mommy."

"Welcome, Ms. Mills!"

As Regina bend over a little to put her heels on, Cora noticed how Emma's eyes were pretty much glued to a certain part of her daughter's body. She grinned and decided to put this knowledge away for use at a later time. "Okay!" Cora said. "Is everyone ready to go now?"

"Yes!" they somehow all said excitedly in unison.

Emma and Henry went out the door first. Followed closely by Lucy and then Regina. Cora brought up the rear, closing and locking the door behind her. She caught up to Regina and said in a low voice, "So this is the Henry that we've been hearing so much about lately then?"

"Yes, Mom. Why are you whispering?"

"No reason," Cora responded quickly in her normal voice. "His mother is beautiful." She had decided to dive into the subject a little sooner than she intended.

"Yes she is," Regina replied indirectly to Cora as she reached the car at the end of her driveway.

Cora smirked as she unlocked the car. "It's a good thing I borrowed your father's car today, huh?"

"Yeah, Mom, I guess so but then his car is the one with Luce's car seat in it. So that makes perfect sense to me," Regina responded.

At that moment, Emma came from the other side of the car holding Henry's car seat. She opened the door after Cora unlocked it and proceeded to quickly yet efficiently hook it up behind the driver's side. Regina decided to join her to see if she needed any help as Cora put Lucy into hers.

"Hey, Emma, do you need any help with that? Luce's is so complicated that I had to actually have my dad get it in there."

"No, I'm fine," Emma replied. I only have the one car seat for Henry but plenty of people who take care of him that drive so I've kind of become an expert at getting it in and out of cars pretty fast."

"Okay." Regina stepped back a little to give her some room and to stand with Henry as they waited.

Through the open doors and across the car, Cora could clearly see her daughter checking out the same area of Emma's body that Emma had been checking out on Regina just a few minutes earlier. She smirked again and at that moment, she decided to subtly bring these observations up with her daughter when they were at the farmer's market.

* * *

Emma, Cora and Regina walked slowly through Storybrooke's farmer's market together chatting and stopping at the different vendors as they kept at eye on Henry and Lucy happily skipping a few paces ahead of them. When the children would get too far ahead Emma made sure to catch up and momentarily stop them from going any farther. On one of these occasions, Cora decided to put her plan into motion. "So Henry and Emma are such a beautiful family," she casually observed."

"Yes, they really are," Regina responded, looking at the group ahead and smiling as she and her mother had stopped to look more closely at another vendor's items.

"So when did you two actually finally get to meet?"

"Just the other day at the playground."

"The one near your house? Does she live in your neighborhood then? I thought there weren't any other children Luce's age in your development," Cora said.

"There aren't. That's the thing. For some reason, Luce really wanted to go to a different playground that day. One closer to the school. I figured why not indulge her and get a change of scenery. It turns out that the one we went to was also frequented by Emma and Henry. She knew exactly what she was doing. Who knew four year olds could plan things like that so well?" Regina chuckled. Then turning to face her mother she asked, "Hey what's with the third degree?"

Cora broke eye contact with her daughter as she answered, "I don't know what you mean, dear. I'm just simply inquiring about these two new lovely people I've only just met or even heard of today."

"Well I don't have to tell you everything that goes on my life. You know that right, Mom? And it's not like I was trying to keep them a secret. Luce and I went to the park after work on Wednesday and after meeting and talking a little, Emma and I decided to set up a playdate for Luce and Henry once we put two and two together and realized how close they've become lately."

Cora put her hands up in her defense, "Okay, honey. I didn't mean to pry. It just seems like you two have made a connection. And I'm happy to see that you have someone new in your life. Especially a woman," Cora said as aside to herself.

"Mom, I heard that. And we're just friends. Nothing has happened yet. This is only the second time we've seen each other."

"Oh so you plan on seeing her more...?" Cora continued.

"Well of course. Henry is Luce's best friend. Why would we keep them apart?"

Cora decided not to pry any further. She didn't want to ruin this impromptu family outing with her middle child. She had always made sure to give Regina extra attention so she wouldn't feel like the typical middle child. She wasn't joking earlier when she said that Regina was her favorite daughter. In fact, she truly was her favorite child. Besides resembling her the most, she and Regina had very similar personalities and aspirations. The only real differences being their respective ages and the fact that Regina was much less open emotionally that Cora. They both had taken jobs to serve their community. They had similar fashion styles and interests. That's why Cora knew that she could ditch her husband, Henry, for his suggested golf outing and surprise her youngest daughter with a trip to the farmer's market. With respect to this new development that she had discovered, Cora was only so interested in it because her daughter had always been private with her love life, especially after she came out to her family. For some reason, although she was completely proud and accepting of her children, Cora was still always fascinated by the fact that two out of three of her children were gay. And since her only son was off gallivanting around in the city and rarely called or visited anymore, she literally only had Regina in that respect. Everyone, including herself, knew how beautiful Regina was and for her to still be single was an immense mystery to her. All she truly wanted was for her daughter to be happy though. Especially after finally getting over her late husband, Daniel's, unexpected and sudden death and realizing that she was in fact a homosexual woman.

Regina could see what her mother was up to. So she was both glad and relieved when she decided to let it go. Just as she was about to contemplate this further, Emma walked up to them with the biggest smile on face with Lucy and Henry each holding her hands. Regina couldn't help but to reciprocate her apparent joy. Both children were holding ice creams cones in their free hands and trying but failing to not make messes. "Sorry," Emma immediately said. "They got me with their combined cuteness. I was defenseless against their pleas for ice cream."

"It's okay, dear," Regina chuckled. "At least their only small cones so most of the mess will just be on their hands and not on their clothes."

Emma exaggeratedly exhaled. "Okay. Good. Luce, here was actually the ringleader and said that her mommy had so much ice cream at home that she was sure she was allowed to have a treat with her best friend." Emma grinned directly at Regina after her statement.

Regina actually found herself blushing and being unable to stop her embarrassment. "Yes...well. I do like to indulge myself from time to time after a long day at work."

Cora chuckled and added, "Please, dear, you're a librarian in a small library. How much exhausting work could there possibly be to do there? Someone can't find a book where it's supposed to be and the catalog says that it's in?" Cora said in a mocking tone. "Besides you've always had a bit of a sweet tooth. Even though you tried to hide that fact from your father and me growing up."

"I actually do more than just help people find books, _Mother_. I'm the Reference and Adult services librarian. That requires me to create and run all of the programs that aren't the children or teen-related ones that Belle does. There's also interlibrary loans and magazines and our historical collection. Any technical help that a patron my need with ebooks..." Regina continued.

"Okay, okay dear. We get your point. Just because you work in a smaller library doesn't necessarily mean that you don't work hard." Cora rolled her eyes at Regina and then turned to wink at Emma before saying, "I just mean that on the whole your job is a lot less stressful on a daily basis then mine. Wouldn't you agree, Emma?"

"Yeah I'm sure being the mayor for as long as you have is a hard job. Sorry, Gina," Emma said, looking dejectedly at Regina.

Regina stopped staring annoyedly at her mother to assuage Emma. "Oh it's okay, dear. My mother is just being a bit of a profession snob today apparently. Wait...did you just call me Gina?"

Emma looked up startled. "Oh I don't know. Did I? I'm sorry, it just kinda came out naturally. I don't really call any of my friends by their full names."

Cora stood there looking between the two women with a smirk on her face. "Well that's interesting actually because that's how our family and friends have always addressed her most of the time."

"Yes, it was only 'Regina' when I was a child and in trouble for some reason or another."

"Oh so it's cool if I call you that then?" Emma asked.

"Of course, dear," Regina replied with a quick smile.

If actual sparks could have been seen flying between two people than Cora was sure that she would have had to move the children out of way so they wouldn't get hurt by them. She had never seen Regina act like this around another woman. It was so obvious that it almost physically hurt her not to say something and risk ruining the moment she was witnessing. She was actually watching her daughter fall in love with this woman whom she had just met a few days ago.


	5. Chapter 5

Following the conclusion of their farmer's market excursion, Cora decided to just drop the two women and their respective children off at Regina's house since Emma's car was still there and Cora had other errands to run. Or so she claimed. Usually after such an outing, she would have gone into Regina's home to spend more quality time with her daughter and granddaughter but she wanted to give Regina and her obvious new crush some alone time. As much alone time you can get in the presence of two toddlers anyway.

As soon as everyone entered the house, the two toddlers in question again sprinted up the stairs presumably to go continue playing in Luce's playroom. The two adults didn't even have time to take off their children's coats or inquire if they needed anything else before they were left alone together again. Regina took Emma's jacket from her right away this time and deposited it along with her coat into the closet.

"Wow it's almost dinnertime already," Regina observed. "I don't mean to sound presumptuous but since those two don't seem to want to part from each other's company anytime soon would you like to stay for dinner then?" Regina waited for Emma's answer with baited breath.

"Sure! That sounds great. Henry and I have absolutely no plans for the rest of today so that would be awesome." Emma hoped she didn't sound too desperate with her answer. "One less day of cooking for me is always a good thing. And I use the term 'cooking' very loosely. I've never been even close to a good cook."

Regina laughed at Emma self-affacing response. "Actually Luce and I usually order out on Saturday nights because I spend the rest of the week cooking homemade meals for her and myself. I actually love to cook and bake. I find it soothing and I'm really good at it. My family have always had big Sunday dinners and I would always help my mom. So I guess some of that rubbed off on me."

"Oh that's nice," Emma replied. "It was just me and my mom so we didn't have any big Sunday dinners or anything but she was a good cook. Do you still do those Sunday dinners with your family?"

"Yes, that's also kind of the reason why Luce and I tend to eat out on Saturdays because I know she'll get a great homemade meal the next day."

"So you have Sunday meals every week with your family but you still don't see your brother that often?"

Regina was a little thrown off by this non-sequitur. But she saw how Emma had gotten there and decided to roll with it as she walked towards the kitchen. Emma naturally followed her. "Yeah...it's still kind of a sore subject with my parents. We were such a close-knit family growing up and it was a shock to my parents when Jeff just up and pretty much abandoned us. My dad took it the hardest, him being his only son and all. It's kind of sad because he still expects him to walk through their door and join us every Sunday. They used to sit in the living room and watch football together while I helped my mom in the kitchen. Zelena would actually watch football with them too. I have such fond memories of hearing them reacting loudly to some play or call while my mom and I worked together."

"Well hey, anything's possible. I understand how your dad holds out hope that your brother will come back home one day. You never know, right?"

"Yeah I guess so." Regina gave Emma a small smile, thankful for her kind words.

As they reached the kitchen, Regina went straight to the menus drawer and Emma lingered in the middle of the kitchen by the island waiting for Regina to join her. She brought back a lot of good options. So many that Emma had a hard time helping her to choose. Both children weren't picky eaters so it was essentially up to the adults to pick something. In the end, they went with a large pizza from a local place that Regina spoke highly of.

As they were returning to the living room after Regina placed their order for delivery, she told Emma to make herself comfortable as she went upstairs to change into something a little more comfortable. She handed Emma the remote control before going upstairs to change and told her to just put whatever on while she waited.

Regina ascended the stairs and made sure to look in on the children before going to her own room to get out of her heels and designer dress. She hoped that she hadn't overdone it with her attire but she always felt her most confident in a perfectly fitted dress and nice pair of heels. She wore mostly business casual clothes and comfy flats to work everyday so she enjoyed taking the opportunity to dress up when the option presented itself. She had only been on a few dates since Daniel's death four years ago and those had not at all worked out for her. They were nice women whom she had somehow let herself get talked into going out with but she knew upon initially meeting them that they were not her type. Regina still didn't know if she even had a type. There were always certain girls that she had an affinity for in her youth and of course she had her celebrity crushes like anyone else but she never actually allowed herself to figure out what type of woman appealed to her.

Regina had known that she was gay from a very young age and she had no fear of letting her parents and siblings know but she had somehow neglected to do so and then somehow she had found herself falling for Daniel. He was the boy next door with whom she had always been good friends but had never seen as more than that. After he asked her out to the junior prom and she had agreed, her feelings began to change though. She thought that this must be what love felt like. Regina knew that she was gay but she had such strong feelings for Daniel that she kind of just relented and let herself fall for him. Over the years, she had subtly observed how her suburb and schoolmates treated anyone who was different and Regina didn't want to stand out that way. Also she knew that she wanted to stay in Storybrooke and start a family. She had always wanted children and she figured a more traditional family by most of society's standard might just be the way to achieve that. For all of these reasons, Regina had felt an immense guilt when her husband was killed at the age of 22 by a drunk driver. They had just graduated college and were settling down to start their lives together in Storybrooke. Regina was a few months pregnant and her life was suddenly upended by the loss of her partner. She somehow thought that it was her fault for not being true to who she really was and settling for something that she thought she should of had instead of just living her life by being true to herself. It took her until after Lucy's birth to officially come out to her family. They were beyond understanding as unbeknownst to her, they had already known. But they had supported her undeniably when she decided to marry the boy next door and live out her life with Daniel.

All of these thoughts ran through Regina's mind as she contemplated the woman waiting for her downstairs in her living room. After spending most of the day with Emma, she was certain that she was indeed falling for this woman whom her daughter had thankfully brought into her life. She knew that it was probably too soon to be admitting to that but she didn't feel the need to deny her feelings. Ever since her mother had dropped them back off (and didn't come in as she normally would have) she was sure that her mom had seen it too. The way they interacted with each other made it pretty obvious that something was happening between them. And who knew where it would lead? But Regina was anxious yet hopeful to find out.

She walked out of her bedroom now changed into black yoga pants, a cream long-sleeved Henley shirt and her comfy black slide on slippers. She thought it a little too presumptuous to bring Emma down a change of clothes. Would that imply that she wanted or now expected her to stay the night? She knew that Lucy and Henry would probably love to have a sleepover. No. She decided that she was moving way too fast with those thoughts and calmed herself down before she descended the stairs.

Emma had apparently found the premium channels that Regina subscribed to and was currently watching _Love Actually_. Regina smirked as she joined her on the couch immediately informing her of her excellent choice. "This is one of my favorite movies of all time," Regina stated.

"Yeah I love this movie. It makes me so happy. There are so many great parts."

"So what's your favorite storyline?" Regina asked Emma as she sat down beside her.

"Gonna have to go with Jamie and Aurelia. I dorkily say 'just in cases' all the time."

Regina laughed. "I like the Prime Minister and Natalie's story the best. I've always been a sucker for Hugh Grant though. Since his floppy haired days."

"I know right?! _Nine Months_ is my jam. I love him in that."

"Oh my gosh, how about _Notting Hill_ though?" Regina replied excitedly.

"I'm just a girl standing in front of a boy asking him to love her," they both proceeded to say in unison as they turned towards each other giggling.

Regina sighed. "I really miss those kinds of romantic comedies. They don't make them like that anymore, you know?"

"Definitely. I agree. So what's your favorite romantic comedy of all time then?" Emma asked.

Regina chuckled. "I've actually given this some thought. And I would have to go with _Serendipity_."

"Awww! Great choice! That cast is amazing! It has some of my absolute favorite people in it. Can't go wrong with Kate Beckinsale, right? She's so hot! Have you ever seen _Underworld_?"

"I have, yes. And I would definitely have to agree with you. She's pretty much the only reason why I saw that movie. Blood, gore and vampires aren't really my thing. About the only thing like that that I've liked recently would be _True Blood_. That whole cast was ridiculously hot."

"Oh now we're getting into more of my wheelhouse. I love a good movie every now and again but I am pretty much obsessed with tv right now. There's so much good programming like everywhere."

"I agree but I still find myself reading more these days than being able to enjoy a good Netflix binge session. I'm always reading something for my multiple book clubs at the library."

"Yeah? That's cool though. Wait...so who was you favorite character on _True Blood_?" Emma asked excitedly.

"Who was yours?" Regina shot back.

"Uh...I think I asked you first, Gina" Emma said with a smile.

"Okay let's say our choice together on the count of three."

"Ha! Okay."

Regina counted it off, then both women practically screamed, "Pam!" at each other and then proceeded to fall into fits of laughter.

"I think Jason was a close second for me though," Emma said after she had composed herself.

"Really? I think I'd have to go with Jessica. Redheads do it for me sometimes." Regina quirked an eyebrow at Emma.

"Yeah she was undeniably hot. I'll give you that. So what other tv shows are you watching in between all of your reading for work?" Emma queried.

"Well...even though I pay for cable and all of these premium channels, I also have Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime so I try to keep up with a lot of their original programming. Then I also make sure to take advantage of the full seasons of shows when they get them if I fall behind on something."

"Wow. That's a little intense," Emma chuckled.

"I know but like you said there's such an amazing variety of quality shows on right now and I like a variety of genres. Plus it's nice to be able to watch them wherever you go."

"I agree. I often find myself watching Netflix when I get bored at work."

"You know what Emma, my profession has been brought up multiple times since we've met but I only just realized that I don't know what it is that you do for a living," Regina stated.

"Oh. Yeah. Well it kind of wouldn't come up in conversation as easily as your profession does. I'm a bounty hunter."

"Wow. Really?" Regina audibly gasped her response. "That's certainly something you don't hear of everyday. I guess I'm only really familiar with that profession through that _Dog the Bounty Hunter_ show that used to be on tv."

Emma laughed. "Yeah that's what most people say when they find out I'm a bounty hunter."

"Well how exactly did you come about this career if you don't mind my asking."

"No, not at all," Emma responded. "Honestly I just kind of fell into it. I was just about to graduate school and I was feeling pretty directionless so I decided to go to this career fair thing that my school was having. I stopped at my now current boss's table because he had giant sign that said, 'GOOD AT FINDING PEOPLE? WHY NOT DO IT FOR A LIVING?' I have always had a talent for that exactly. The different homes that I lived in before I was adopted weren't some of the best places so kids would often run away. I kinda always took it upon myself to go find them and bring them back which wasn't always easy especially growing up in the city. I liked doing it though. And I had pretty much forgotten about that aspect of my life until I saw David's sign. So I spoke with him and took his card and the information that he gave me and thought nothing of it. Until after I had moved in with my mom in her new home here in Storybrooke and was unpacking my stuff. I found his card and on a whim decided to give him a call about a job. And the rest is as they say, history." Emma smiled shyly at Regina after finishing her story.

Regina smiled back easily. "So I would imagine that there's not a lot a work for you here in Storybrooke. Although I'm once again basing all of my assumptions on the little bit of knowledge I've gained from a reality tv show on A&E," Regina chuckled.

"Well you'd be right actually. Most, if not all, of my work, I do in Boston. I had planned on living there after I graduated but I wanted to stay close to my mom. So I ended up getting an apartment here in Storybrooke instead after she moved here. Then when I got pregnant with Henry it worked out perfectly to have her so close to me."

"I...uh. I feel kind of weird asking this but since we're getting to know each other so well now, do mind me asking how you got Henry...?" Regina said tentatively.

"Nah. I don't mind but it's not that good of a story, Gina."

"That's okay, Emma. I just want to keep getting to know you," Regina said, a little blush creeping up into her cheeks.

Emma took a deep breath. Her eyes softened as she gave Regina a small smile. "Well. First of all, I do and at the same time don't really know Henry's father that well, which is kind of embarrassing for me to admit but his name is Neal Cassidy. I met him my senior year of college. We actually got into a bidding war over my car. It was being sold at a police auction for really cheap. I was determined to win it but he ended getting the car in the end. He was a real jerk about it though and one day when I was walking home I saw it sitting in an alleyway. Somehow I knew that this was the car that I had lost. So using one of the many illegal skills that I had picked up from some of my former foster brothers, I decided to steal it."

"Emma!" Regina admonished. "Why would you do that?"

"I was young, impulsive and stupid and I... Honestly I was really angry that day and in a bad headspace so I decided to take it out on who I viewed to be the last person that wronged me. Turns out he as asleep in the backseat of the car when I took it. And the jerk actually asked me out on a date in return for not pressing charges."

"Oh how sweet," Regina replied sarcastically.

"I know right. But he was actually super cute and I didn't want my mom to find out about what I'd done so I agreed to go out on one date with him. One thing lead to another and we found ourselves back at his place after the date was over. I never heard from him again though. Didn't really want to. I figured I was off the hook for stealing the car and I was about to graduate anyway so I didn't really want to start something with anybody. Especially not having any immediate future career prospects."

Regina nodded her head in understanding.

"Well...," Emma continued. "It turns out that four months later I find out that I'm pregnant. I feel so stupid for not using protection for what essentially was a one night stand. Also I'm pretty sure I was more than just a little tipsy. I mean it was consensual and everything but we just did a stupid thing. When I found out I had been working as a bounty hunter for a little bit so I tried to use my resources to do the honest thing and find him to tell him he was going to be a father. But I guess he just didn't want to be found. And not to toot my own horn, but I'm really good at my job."

"Hmmm," Regina responded as she took all of this information in. "So sticking with the really personal and borderline inappropriate questions...can I ask you, are you straight then?"

Emma chuckled. "Uh...no. I'm actually bi. Have been my whole life. Let me tell you, getting caught making out with a girl by your foster parent is something that has happened to me way more than I've wanted it to. Ingrid was the only one who didn't kick me out for it."

Regina put her hand on Emma's and squeezed it. "I'm sorry, Emma."

"It's okay, Gina. That's all in the past now and it helped me to make the decision to choose Ingrid to be my mom. So. Now that I've told you Henry's conception story, how'd you get Luce? She looks way too much like you to not be your biological kid."

Regina smiled and then took a deep breath. Although Daniel's death was years ago, it had taken her a long time to get over it, and discussing it would always be a hard thing for her. "My story is a... Hard for me to tell but I trust you so..."

Emma brought her other hand on top of Regina's to give her further support as she prepared herself for what Regina was about to tell her.

"So I'm gay. And like you I've always known it. But I put this self-imposed, imaginary, some might even say unnecessary, restriction on myself to not allow me to completely be myself. I mean, I pretty much kept to myself in high school besides hanging out with my sister and my friend, Kathryn. I always had my nose in a book. And when I wasn't reading or doing homework for my advanced classes, I was at the stables."

"Wait...what do you mean? Like riding horses or something...?"

"Yes, actually. Exactly like that. I've been passionate about Equestrian since I was a little girl. My parents introduced me to the sport and I did competitions when I was younger but as I got older I just rode my horse for fun."

"Hold on. You have your own horse?!"

"Yes, Rocinante. Although he's getting up their in age, I still go visit him from time to time."

"Cool."

"So anyway the boy who lived next door to us our whole lives was around my age and we would hang out at the stables a lot and see each other around school. But I didn't exactly call him a friend. Well, once Z, that's what I call my sister, graduated I was down a friend so I guess Daniel filled that void for me."

"But what about Jefferson?"Emma inquired.

"Oh, he had his own unique set of friends. And then once he could drive he and his friends would always find their way to the city, oftentimes without our parents' permission. But that was Jeff and I didn't mind. So Daniel asked my out to our junior prom and something in me told me to say yes. I did and everything changed for us after that night. I don't know if I would exactly call it love but I definitely started to feel something way stronger than friendship for Daniel. He had always had some sort of a crush on me, and I knew it, but we never really acknowledged it. He was always very respectful in that way though. So we officially became a couple the summer before our senior year in high school. We ended up going to the same local college after we graduated. We had kind of already established that we'd like to set up roots here in Storybrooke. We got married right after college. I was already three months pregnant at the time, but that wasn't the reason why we did it. I got my job at the library and Daniel took a job at the stables." Regina eyes had started to get watery. She sniffled before she said, "Four months later he was killed on his way home by a drunk driver. He died in the hospital that same night."

"Oh, Gina. I'm so sorry." Emma instinctively let go of her hands and engulfed her in a hug. Regina relaxed into the hug as a few tears slipped down her cheeks.

When Emma finally released her after what seemed like a long time, she wiped the tears from Regina's face with her thumb before taking her hands again. They were facing each other on the couch staring into each other's eyes when the doorbell rang.

"Well," Regina said as she cleared her throat. "That was faster than I thought it'd be," Regina admitted. "Especially on a Saturday night."

"Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!" the children screamed as they came running wildly down the stairs. Both women smiled and got up to go to the door together.

"Mommy, why are you holding Ms. Mills hand?" Henry asked when they got to the foyer.

"Oh...I..." Emma hadn't even realized that she was indeed still holding Regina's hand as they stood there.

"Because, Henry, that's what good friends do sometimes," Regina supplied, stepping in to help Emma.

"Oh. Okay."

And with that Regina allowed Lucy to open the door again. The delivery man handed the large box over to the toddlers who successfully balanced it between them as Regina signed the bill and tipped him. "Thank you. You have a beautiful family." He chuckled as he looked at the toddlers concentrating very hard with the hot box. He walked away before either woman could correct him. And neither of them wanted to.


	6. Chapter 6

The four of them did eat all together like a family in the kitchen. The two little ones each devouring one slice while Emma surprised Regina by having four. Regina only had a modest two slices. Soon after dinner and each mother cuddling on the couch with their respective children as they watch _Paw Patrol_ , both toddlers became visibly drowsy. Regina quietly got up to put Lucy to bed while Emma laid Henry on the couch and decided to clean up dinner before grabbing their things to get ready to leave.

Since Lucy was exhausted from her exciting and fun-filled day with the Swan family, she didn't even wake up as Regina changed her into her pajamas and tucked her into bed. She came back downstairs to find Emma struggling to get his coat onto a sleeping Henry. She currently only had access to one arm as she held him in her other, his head resting heavily on her shoulder.

Regina's rich laughter filled the foyer and she approached Emma. "Would you like some help, dear?"

"Yeah, sure," Emma answered. She handed the jacket over to Regina and then held Henry with both arms as Regina slipped the jacket onto him.

"Thanks, Gina," Emma grunted as she switched Henry to one side still fast asleep and as heavy as ever.

"Anytime," Regina responded.

"So we'll definitely have to do this again. Sometime soon...?" Emma asked hesitantly.

"Yes, dear. We most certainly do. How about we meet again at the park on Wednesday?" Regina suggested.

"Actually that was kind of just a fluke thing. I don't really have a regular schedule. I just happened to have no new jobs that day so I took Henry to the park on a whim."

"Well how in the world did Luce know that you guys would be there when you were?"

"Hmmm. I don't know," Emma responded. "Kismet?"

"Maybe," Regina pondered. "Anyway, let me walk you to the door."

She put her hand protectively on Emma's lower back as she followed them to the front door. She reached around to open it for her when they reached it. Emma turned around to face Regina to say goodbye officially and was met by a swift yet soft kiss on the cheek from Regina. She gave Emma a small, warm smile before saying, "Goodnight, Emma. I'm so glad our children allowed us to meet each other."

"Me too," Emma said in a stunned manner. "Oh hey, let me give you my number so you can call or text and we can try to set up a day to meet at the park again this week. My phone's actually been in my car the whole time, so..."

"Yeah, sure. Let me just go grab my phone. I'll be right back." As Regina jogged into the living room to retrieve her phone from the coffee table, Emma stood there with the goofiest grin on her face. Now she would have Regina's number! Before she could celebrate this fact any more, Regina returned a little winded, mostly from excitement. "Okay, what it is?"

After Emma recited her number to Regina and vice versa, they said their goodbyes again and Emma made her way to the car with Henry. As she opened the passenger side door to put him into his car seat, she suddenly realized that Cora still had it in her husband's SUV.

She laid her son down on the backseat as she grabbed her phone from the front to call Regina. She didn't want to chance waking up Lucy by ringing the doorbell. Regina answered on the second ring. "Hi Emma, what's up?"

Emma smiled immediately before responding at the rapport that they had established so quickly. "Hey so...I went to put Henry in his car seat to leave only to discover that it's not here."

"Wait...what? Someone stole it?!"

Emma laughed loudly. "No, silly. Your mom still has it in your dad's SUV."

"Oooohhhh. Yeah, that makes much more sense than what I said. Apparently I'm more tired than I thought," Regina chuckled. "Okay, I'll come back down and you two can wait inside while she brings it back over."

"Oh well I don't want to bother her. It's pretty late..."

"Emma, no. You only have the one car seat. Just come inside and wait. It was her fault that she left with it. She was so eager to let us have some more time alone together."

"Why do say that?"

"Because whenever Luce and I spend time with my mother she always comes over afterwards to hang out with us for a little bit longer. She practically sped off before we were all completely out of the car today."

Emma chuckled, "Yeah I did kind of notice that."

"Okay I'm coming downstairs now. Meet me by the door. Bye." Regina hung up as Emma snatched Henry up from the backseat, kicked the door closed with her foot and walked back up the path towards the front door.

As she was making her way up the last step, Regina opened the door, gave her a smile and stood aside to let her and Henry through. She held her phone to her ear as she waited for the called party to answer. "Hey, Mom. Guess what? You forgot to give Emma back her car seat as you practically threw us out of your car when you dropped us off from the farmer's market earlier." Regina paused as she listened to her mother's response. "Don't even try that, Mom. Even Emma noticed you rushing us out, which is how you drove away with her only car seat. No, don't put Daddy on the phone." Regina sighed as Cora clearly did what she had just asked her not to. "Hi, Daddy. Well your wife left the car seat of Luce's best friend in your car. Yes, Emma. Oh she told you all about her huh? Daddy can one of you please just bring it over here right now? Emma would like to take Henry home and sleep in her own bed, I'm sure."

Emma who was now sitting on the couch listening to this whole exchange raised her eyebrows at that last statement. She wouldn't mind sleeping in Regina's bed for the night. _Man, get your mind out of the gutter, Swan!_ She shook her head in an attempt to get rid of the dirty thoughts that now filled it. As she looked back at the cause of those thoughts, she noticed that Regina had quickly changed into her pajamas which consisted of some rather short shorts, hot pants if you will, and tight fitting v neck t shirt, no bra, and she had her dark shoulder-length hair up in a messy bun. Emma's jaw almost audibly dropped to the floor.

"Okay, thanks Daddy. Yeah, we'll see you soon. Love you too." Regina turned around and caught Emma mid expression. "Emma...are you okay?"

Emma shook her head again. "Yeah...uh, yes! Just tired I guess." She gave Regina a quick smile.

Regina smirked at her knew friend and walked over to sit with her and Henry on the couch. She pulled her feet up under her as she sat facing Emma. "They only live a few minutes away. So they should be here soon."

"They're both coming?" Emma asked. "To return one car seat?"

"Oh no, it's just my dad. It's his car anyway. He doesn't like my mom to drive it a lot. I'm actually kind of shocked that she had it earlier. If she was just expecting Luce and I to be here when she dropped by I don't know why she felt the need to take my father's huge car."

"Ha. It is pretty big. Especially compared to my little Beetle."

"Hey I just realized...that's not the same car from that Neal guy is it?"

"Actually, weirdly enough, it is. Somehow he did find out that I was pregnant and he had someone drop the car off for me at my mom's house. How he knew I was living there at the time is beyond me. I even tried to use the information I got from the paperwork and the guy that dropped off the car to trace it back to Neal. But every piece of info just turned out to be a dead end."

"That is weird. So it's like a creepy baby gift from the father of your child who apparently wants nothing to do with either you or Henry."

"Yup. I know right? I really do love the car though and I was borrowing my mom's at the time to do my work so it kinda worked out for me."

"Brightside, huh?" Regina commented. "So I'm assuming you don't work regular 9 to 5 hours at your job. How does it work exactly?"

"Well, David Nolan, my boss-"

"Wait, sorry to interrupt. Is your boss a tall good looking guy with blue eyes and short cut dirty blonde hair?

Emma looked taken aback. "Yeah! How do you know that? Are you psychic or something?!"

"No, Emma," Regina chuckled. "We actually went to high school together. Well, he was a senior when I was a freshmen. So more like, I knew of him. But I'm pretty sure he and Z were pretty good friends. Is he married to Mary Margaret Blanchard by any chance?"

"Yes! How did you now that?! Did she go to your school too?" Emma was being blown away by these newfound connections in her life.

"No, she actually went to a rival school. It was kind of a big deal that those two dated each other and made it work. David was kind of our big man on campus and Mary Margaret was the head cheerleader at her school. I can't imagine the amount of bullshit those two had to take from everyone around them just because our schools were long-time rivals."

"Man, high school was such a dramatic time. Now when we look back on it though, like none of that stuff actually mattered. Well I don't know if it was like that for you but I certainly don't think even half of the drama that happened at my school really meant anything or would ever have any real world repercussions."

"No, I absolutely agree, dear. Who cares if two kids from different schools fell in love? High school politics were so silly. Z used to get caught up in a lot of that when she was head cheerleader. I felt sorry for her."

"Hmm. But to answer your original question, David has his own office, Mary Margaret is his secretary slash partner and they distribute the different cases between myself and the two other guys that I work with, August and Killian."

"Those are some interesting names," Regina commented.

"Yeah, well I don't know how August got his name but Killian is Irish. Has a cool accent and everything. He makes for a really good wingman whenever we go out. He really kills it with the ladies."

Regina laughed heartily. "Okay. If you say so, dear. So you all work for David then?"

"In a sense yeah. I guess you can say we're more like independent contractors who choose to go back to the same place for jobs but we also kind of act as makeshift partners on the tougher or more dangerous cases that may require more man power. I mean, we work on commission so if we work together on a big skip we tend to split the money 50/50 and it's safer that way."

"Wow, I guess I didn't really consider the danger aspect of your job especially being a librarian. The worst thing we have to deal with is the occasional irate patron who won't walk away unless their problem is solved immediately right then and there. And usually I just let Kathryn handle those patrons. I figure that's what she gets paid the big bucks for."

Emma chuckled at that. "No it's not as bad as you think. Most times we just trick people into being caught. And most of them aren't hardened criminals just everyday people skipping out on bail or child support or something stupid like that. Plus we can always tell depending on what part of town that we're in what kind of skip we can count on coming up against. And that's when we use each other for backup. Luckily it doesn't happen too often."

"It only takes on crazy person with a gun to really do some damage though," Regina said worriedly.

Emma looked her straight in the eye. "Hey, it's okay, Gina. You don't have to worry about me. Trust me, I'm way stronger and faster than I look. Plus I know that August, Killian, or even sometimes David will always have my back."

"Okay," Regina replied. "I trust you." She gave Emma a shy smile as she continued to look her in the eye. "So if you don't have a regular schedule how were you free to take Henry to the park that day?"

"Oh sometimes when I go into the office in the morning, David will let me know that there's no new jobs at all for that day so I have an impromptu day off. Usually Henry will stay at my mom's afterschool if I'm working or MM will babysit him for me until I get back to the office. But that day I was able to pick him up from school and we just decided to go to the playground there."

"Oh okay." Regina nodded her understanding. "And how do weekends work for you? I'm just assuming but it seems like you have this one off...?"

"Well we cover for each other. It's just kind of understood that one person is sort of "on call" for the weekends. Sometimes a job might even take a little longer anyways and could stretch into the following week. So it's like you're getting an early start on your work week. I know this all must sound so foreign and somewhat unconventional to you. But it's become a way of life for me and luckily I've got a great support system around me to help out with this little guy." Emma ran her fingers lightly through Henry's hair, brushing it lovingly away from his face. "It takes a village, right?" asked Emma as she looked back up at Regina.

She gave Emma a warm smile and turned her head toward her front door when she heard a faint knocking on it. "I guess that would be my dad." Regina stood and waited for Emma to lift Henry into her arms before they made their way back to the front door together. Regina opened the door to greet her father with a hug and a kiss. "Hi Daddy. Thanks for coming right over."

"No problem, mija. Let me go and grab the car seat and I'll meet Emma and Henry at their car with it."

"Okay," Regina agreed. She looked down at herself and only then did she realize that she was standing there in her slightly revealing pajamas. As Emma walked past her through the door she told her that she would come out with her, that she just wanted to grab a long coat to put over her clothes first. As she walked to the closet, it suddenly dawned on her why Emma had had that look on her face earlier before she sat down with her on the couch. She smirked and shook it off as she grabbed her long pea coat to join Emma, Henry and her father outside on this brisk fall evening.

Henry Mills stood on the passenger side of Emma's car with a pleasant smile on his face as he waited for his daughter and her new friend to join him.

"Oh sorry. It should already be unlocked," Emma called. "I'm pretty sure I forgot to lock it when I went back in."

"Okay. Let me put this in here for you as an apology for my wife accidentally stealing it from you earlier," Henry said.

"Oh that's very kind. Thank you, sir."

"Please, call me Henry. It shouldn't be too hard to remember as your son and I share the same name," he responded with a chuckle.

"Oh my goodness, I can't believe I didn't make that connection myself earlier, Daddy." Regina had just joined them.

"Well I guess it's kismet that you too met, huh?"

"Hmm...that's the second time I've heard that word today," Regina admitted and she looked softly as Emma.

Henry Mills had expertly put the car seat in Emma's Beetle in what felt like record time to Emma. "Well it's an honor to meet you," he said, extending his hand toward Emma. Emma shook the proffered hand, "Likewise, Henry."

Regina scoffed. "An honor, daddy...really? What has Mom been telling you?

"Nothing, mija, she only spoke highly of your new friend and said that she noticed an immediate connection between you two. Was she mistaken?" Henry asked honestly.

Both women blushed furiously, standing side by side facing Henry. They didn't dare look at each other to confirm his suspicions.

Henry wore a small smile as he stepped forward to give Regina a goodbye hug and kiss. "Well, okay. I'll see you tomorrow, mija. Emma, it was lovely to meet you. Hopefully I'll get to officially meet the younger Henry when we next meet. Goodnight, girls." And with that Henry Mills made his way down the driveway back to his car and proceeded to drive home with a beep and a wave as he pulled off.

Emma finally deposited Henry into his car seat, secured him and then closed the door. She stood facing Regina with her hands in her back pocket as she rocked back and forth from her heels to her toes. Looking down, she noticed that Regina wasn't wearing any shoes or socks.

"Hey you should really get inside without any shoes on. I don't even know how you're standing out here like that right now," Emma commented.

Regina hadn't even noticed that she had walked outside barefoot. She looked down at her feet and smiled. "I guess you're right. I probably should be hurrying back inside." Without hesitation she wrapped her arms around Emma's underneath her arms and gave her a tight hug. Emma hardly had time to remove her hands from her pockets as she quickly reciprocated. Regina gave her another quick kiss on her cheek before she turned to walk back into her house. Emma held her breath in shock about what had just happened and could only smile with a dopey lopsided grin as Regina waved goodbye to her one final time before closing her front door. Emma released her breath and put both hands on the roof of her car as she leaned forward against it. _Was this really happening? After only a few days of knowing this woman was she actually falling head over heels for her?_


	7. Chapter 7

Regina walked back up her stairs to her bedroom as she thought about the day. She stopped in to check on Luce and make sure that she was still sleeping soundly. On her way to her room, she tried to recall all the smiles and intimate moments that she and Emma has shared that day. There were almost too many to count. And that in itself was an amazing fact. When she had woken up that morning to her daily wake up call from Luce she had immediately been nervous about how the impending playdate would go, not only for her daughter but also herself. As she sat up in bed with her back against her headboard and covers pulled up to her waist, she opened her book to read a little before going to sleep as an image of Emma smiling and laughing flashed through her mind. Regina bit her bottom lip and smiled at the thought. She really looked forward to making more memories with Emma in the near future and seeing where their relationship went.

* * *

Emma rode the elevator up to the 7th floor of her apartment building to her place. She held a still deeply slumbering Henry tightly in one arm as she unlocked the door to her apartment with the other. She threw her keys into the bowl on the side table right by the door and turned to put the chain and deadbolt locks into place. As she simultaneously turned around and flicked her hallway lights on she had to stop herself from literally shrieking out loud. Her friend Ruby was sitting in her living room with nothing but the tv on watching it with the volume turned down low. Emma took and deep breath and sighed loudly. "What the hell are you doing here right now, Rubes?! You made me almost drop Henry! I specifically gave you that key for _emergencies only,_ " Emma stated slowly. She didn't worry about waking Henry with the volume of her voice. Once he was sleeping like this he was pretty much dead to the world.

Her tall, skinny brunette friend scoffed at Emma. "Please I know that no sound is going to wake Henry up when he's sleeping that hard. And besides this _is_ an emergency."

"How so exactly?" Emma asked as she walked away from her friend to Henry's room in order to change him into his pajamas so that she could put him to bed. He was so limp though that she actually required Ruby's help. After they had successfully put him into his Buzz Lightyear pajama set, tucked him in and turned on his nightlight, Emma followed Ruby out of the room leaving the door slightly ajar.

"I really need your help, Em," Ruby stated as soon as they were in the small living room. Emma plopped into her La-Z-Boy and Ruby took her previous seat on the love sofa in front of the tv that was still on at a super low volume.

"First of all, I've told you not to watch tv in the dark because it's bad for you eyes. Secondly, how are you even watching it with the volume turned down so low? I mean, what even is the point of that, Rubes?" Emma sighed in frustration. "Anyway what's so dire?"

"So I think I'm finally going to ask that children's librarian, Belle French, out," Ruby stated nervously. "But I need your help so I don't walk in there looking like Creepy McCreeperson. Long story short, I'd like you to let me take Henry to one of those programs again like I did this past summer."

Emma couldn't help but laugh out loud at her friend. She actually found herself laughing for so long that she was out of breath when she finally regained control of herself. Ruby just stared at her best friend the whole time with a semi-concerned look on her face. "Em, what's going on...? Are you okay, dude?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Emma managed to answer. She continued chuckling to herself for a little while longer though. "I'm sorry, Rubes. Don't mind me. It's just that apparently we both have things for our small community librarians."

"Wait...what are you talking about, Em?"

"I mean, I'm pretty sure I've got it bad for Regina Mills."

"Hold on, do you mean that super hot Adult and Reference librarian lady?" Ruby asked excitedly.

"Yeah," Emma sighed, looking into the middle distance and recalling different parts of her day with Regina. "You know her then?" she asked directly addressing Ruby.

"Hells yeah I know her!" Ruby answered. "I don't know how many times I've walked up to the desk to ask a question and literally forgotten what I was even there for when that gorgeous woman asked me if I needed any help. I felt like a teenage boy going through puberty when I'm in her presence. Or, you know, what I imagine to be how they feel..." Ruby concluded with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean actually. Well guess who is the mother of Henry's new best friend, Luce?" Emma asked, looking directly at her best friend.

"You mean the little girl that he's been talking about endlessly lately? That Luce?" Ruby asked as she rolled her eyes. "No! Don't tell me it's the smoking hot librarian?!"

"Yup," Emma replies with a grin.

"No way! He's always saying that her mom works in the library. I guess I just never put two and two together. Now that I think about it they do look incredibly alike. I've seen that little cutie at lots of those programs with Henry. She's pretty much a mini Regina Mills. So she's who Henry had his elusive, epic first playdate with? The one that you refused to give me any details about for some reason?" Ruby continued.

"Yup." Emma's grin could outdo the Cheshire Cat. "I'm actually a little jealous of you right now though. And the fact that you already knew who she was. I've somehow never run into her before."

"Well Em, that's because unlike you I actively choose to take advantage of all of the fine resources and services that our local library has to offer," Ruby said with an arrogant smirk on her face.

"Oh please! You're not fooling anybody. We all know you only go in there constantly hoping to bump into Belle and _innocently_ strike up a conversation."

"Who me?" Ruby put her hand to chest, feigning innocence. "Wait...who exactly is 'we all' anyway?"

"Let's see...me, my mom, your grandmother, the guys at work, David, MM..." Emma mockingly put her index finger on her chin in contemplation. "Even Henry probably knows at this point and he's still a toddler."

"Don't you bring my Granny into this! She's already too much involved in my life since I work for her at that stupid diner. I don't need her snooping around my love life too!"

"Rubes, c'mon. You haven't been with anyone since Billy and that was almost a year ago. You actually got over him way quicker than I thought you would. I was proud. It's been more than time for you to find someone else at this point. If you really feel that strongly about Belle I say you go for it. Also you seem to forget how insanely hot you are. Aren't I always saying I would've tried to get with you long ago if we weren't besties...? Just go for it, man! I have faith in you."

"Thanks, Em." Ruby looked down with a sly grin of her face. "That really means a lot especially coming from someone who hasn't had a proper date since the birth of her son," Ruby criticized with a smirk and an accusing look.

"Hey I've been busy with work and trying to raise a decent human person, okay. I don't have time for _dating_. What I do have time for is going out with Killian and August from time to time for a few drinks and talking up any beautiful man or woman that just so happens to come my way." Emma winked at Ruby.

"Oh my god! You're such a make-out slut! You never even take anyone home anymore," Ruby harshly observed.

"Well maybe I just haven't found the right person yet?" Emma mused.

"Let me take a wild guess? You think Regina Mills can finally be that person...?"

"Oh that and so much more, Rubes. You don't even know." Emma hummed to herself.

"So tell me then. What'd you guys get up to today?"

Emma grinned. "Well our kids are pretty much obsessed with each other so that actually gave us a lot of quality alone time. We drank coffee, we talked about our families. A little about our respective pasts."

"Wait, you told her about being an orphan and Ingrid adopting you and everything?" Ruby asked incredulously.

"Well not _everything_. Just the short version, but yeah."

"Em, you didn't tell me about that until I had known you for like 9 months."

"I know... Rubes, that what I'm saying, I really think that she could be the one."

"Whoa, slow down there sister. Are you serious right now?" Ruby leaned forward on the sofa awaiting Emma's answer.

Emma smiled so hard her face hurt as she said with full confidence in her eyes, "Yeah."

Ruby stood up suddenly and Emma found herself doing the same. The brunette quickly closed the short distance between them and proceeded to hug her best friend. Hard enough that Emma found that she couldn't breathe for a second. When Ruby finally released her, beaming at her friend with pride she said, "I am beyond happy for you."

* * *

After Ruby finally left upon making concrete plans to take Henry to one of Belle's programs later on in the week, Emma found herself lying in bed on top of her sheets and comforter just reminiscing about her day. Before she even knew what she was doing she had picked up her phone and shot Regina a quick text.

 _*Hey Gina. You still awake?*_

Regina's face completely lit up when she saw who she had just received a text from. She immediately placed her bookmark where she had just stopped reading midsentence and picked up her phone to text Emma back.

 _*Yes actually. My book just got even better. So it's_ _kinda_ _hard to put down_ _rn*_

 _*HA. Of course you read before going to bed. You're such a dork*_

 _*Um...I think you mean librarian dear. I really do have to read about 3 diff books a week for my book clubs*_

 _*Well it sounds like the bookworm chose the right profession huh?*_

 _*Yeah you could say that. Did you have any issues making it home?*_

 _*Nope. We made it here safe & sound. Thx for asking. But my best friend Ruby was in my apartment when I got home. She scared me so bad that I almost dropped Henry*_

 _*Oh no! Is that a regular thing? Her being there without your knowledge?*_

 _*Sadly yes. But she doesn't do any harm to my home. She actually just wanted some advice tonite*_

 _*Oh? What kind of advice?*_

 _*Well like I told you she has_ _this massive crush on Belle. We talked it out and I just told her to go for it*_

 _*Wait is Ruby's last name Lucas?*_

 _*Yeah...why?*_

 _*Oh my goodness I know exactly who you're talking about! Her and Belle would make such a cute couple!*_

 _*Well not as cute as us but yeah I def agree*_

Emma had tapped send before she could even contemplate how presumptuous her last text was. Before she could properly scold herself for ruining a good thing before they even officially got started her phone vibrated again with Regina's reply. She held her breath as she read it.

* _I think we could def give them a run for their money ;)*_

And with that Emma decided that she could now die a completely happy woman. Henry would be fine. He had plenty of people in his life who could care for him.

Emma didn't know how to respond to that. But she didn't want to keep Regina waiting too long. Should she be coy or should she just put herself out there even more? She surprised herself by going with the latter choice.

 _*I agree. Add in the ridiculously cute kids_ _thing and we've got 'em_ _beat for sure!*_

Regina honestly thought that her jaw would be sore for the next couple of days from the amount of constant smiling that she was currently doing. She suddenly noticed the time on her phone and even though she was willing to continue this conversation long into the night, it was getting pretty late by her standards. And she knew that she would see Emma in person again sometime this week. She sighed heavily in disappointment as she typed out her next text.

 _*Don't hate me but I have an early morning tom. And another full day with the family. That Sunday dinner that I told you about*_

 _*Oh no worries. I completely understand. We'll work out the deets_ _for our next playdate sometime this week tho_ _right?*_

Emma hoped she didn't sound too desperate but once again, before she could even begin to berate herself for her eagerness, Regina texted her back.

 _*Of course, dear. We'll def work it out. Have a good night Emma*_

 _*Thanks. You too Gina. I had such a wonderful time getting to know you today*_

 _*Yes. Me too. I hope we can keep learning_ _more about each other soon*_

Regina set her phone on her nightstand and connected it to her charger. She didn't need to set an alarm because she knew that Luce would probably be tip-toeing loudly into her room in the wee hours of the morning to attempt to quietly wake up her mother. Regina sighed happily in anticipation of that particular part of her life. She also sighed deeply in anticipation of the next time that she would see Emma Swan again.


	8. Chapter 8

At approximately 6:02 a.m., Lucy Mills decided that she had waited long enough to officially wake up her mother. She marched down the hallway to her room and when she reached the door, she slowly turned the knob. After a slight mishap with the knob, she pushed the door open gently and crept on her tippy toes all the way across to her mother's bed.

Regina had heard her daughter as soon as she left her own room to come to hers. Her footsteps on the floor sounded like she was actually marching like a soldier. Then as she struggled to quietly turn the knob on her door it sounded like she almost fell thru it. But she held onto the knob to prevent herself from completely falling as she continue to push it open with all of her might. Regina had to struggle to hold in her laughter at the amount of noise Luce was making when she knew that she was, in fact, trying to be sneaky. Luckily she had fallen asleep on her right side facing away from the door so that her back was still currently to her daughter. She closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep as Lucy used all of the strength she could muster to pull herself up onto Regina's queen size bed. After getting onto her mother's bed that was when she completely gave up on her stealth activities and decided to pounce on her mother to wake her up. Regina anticipated this though and actually surprised herself by turning onto her back fast enough and just in time to catch Lucy's small flying body in her arms.

"HA! Gotcha, mija! Good morning, my beautiful baby girl," Regina said as she squeezed the small child in her arms and pressed numerous kisses to her forehead and cheeks. Lucy squealed in delight as she answered, "Good morning, mommy! Let's go to grandma and grandpa's house!"

Regina chuckled. "Okay, mija. We can go over a little earlier than usual today. We just have to make sure that they're up and awake before we go to their house. Is that okay?"

"I guess..." Lucy huffed as she wiggled out of Regina's loose hold and climbed down from the bed dejectedly. Regina grinned at her daughter's theatrics and popped out her bed herself. She instinctively grabbed her cell phone to check it before going into her en suite bathroom to splash some water onto her face to help her wake up a little more. Then she left her room to look for Lucy in hers. Not finding her there, she climbed down the stairs to find her daughter sitting on the floor in front of the tv watching Nick Jr. It never ceased to amaze her how adept today's children were with their skilled usage of technology.

Regina smiled and placed a kiss on Luce's head before leaving her in the living room to walk into the kitchen and start a fresh pot of coffee. When that was started she called out to Luce to join her for breakfast. She helped the young child into one of the high back stools at the island. "Let's just have a small breakfast since we're going to Grandma and Grandpa's and you know that there's going to be plenty of food there. Because what's today?"

"It's Sunday, mommy! And we gonna go help with family dinner!"

"Right, mija!" Regina said as she put a piece of buttered toast in front of Luce on a napkin and continued chomping on her own pieces.

* * *

After getting Luce ready, Regina sat her on the bed to let her watch a little more tv while she went to shower and get her herself dressed. She decided to dress casually, which for her meant that she was wearing some well-fitted designer jeans and a pullover v neck sweater. She went with a pair of her most comfortable work flats as she would be on her feet most of the day helping to prepare dinner.

Once both mother and daughter were officially ready to go, they walked out the door greeted by a gorgeous fall day. Lucy ran ahead to her mother's car as Regina pulled the door shut behind her. When Regina finally reached the car, she secured Lucy into her car seat and they were off to her parents' house.

Regina found herself thinking of Emma for the first time that day on the short drive as she checked her rear view mirror and grinned at Lucy who was entertaining herself by singing a Spanish lullaby that her grandfather had taught her. She was so lost in her thoughts as they arrived at her parents' home that she almost didn't notice the unfamiliar car parked in her usual spot in the her parents' very large driveway. Regina thought nothing of it, though, as she got Lucy out of the car and they walked hand in hand up to the front door.

Regina stopped in her tracks and her jaw dropped open as she saw who was standing in the now open doorway.

"Uncle Jeff!" Lucy exclaimed as she let go of her mother's hand to run into her uncle's outstretched arms. Regina's younger brother had gotten down on one knee to hug his little niece. He then picked her up and swung her around in a circle holding her tightly against his chest. He kissed the top of her head before putting her back down. By this time, Regina had closed her mouth and was standing in front of her brother with a small smile on her face but still in shock.

"I can't believe you're here," Regina practically whispered. Unbeknownst to her, her eyes had teared up.

"Hey, Gina," Jefferson said softly as he stepped forward to hug his sister. A tear fell down Regina's cheek as she embraced him.

When they finally released each other Regina sniffled, wiped her eyes and chuckled, "I don't why I'm crying. It's not like you were declared missing or something."

"I know but it has been awhile and I just missed everybody."

Regina nodded in agreement. "Well you know we missed you every day, Jeff."

They stood smiling as each other just stuck in the moment. Then Regina stated more than asked, "So that's your car in the driveway then."

"Yup! That baby's all mine. You like her?"

"Yeah it's a really nice car. Your baby is parked in my usual spot though."

"Sorry, sis. I didn't know. You want me to move her."

"No," Regina chuckled. "She's fine where she is." Regina followed her brother and daughter through the door into the house. "So are Z and company here yet?"

"No not yet. But from what I remember, we're both kinda early right?"

"Yeah we are. Good point." Regina couldn't help staring at her brother as they walked towards the living areas and kitchen in the back of the house to find their parents. Jefferson looked fondly at his niece as he commented, "Wow, Gina. She's gotten so big. And she looks so much like you it's crazy."

Regina laughed. "That's what everyone says but I still see a lot of Daniel in her. Wait...so you haven't seen her since she was-"

"Practically a newborn," Jefferson finished her sentence. "You had just come home from the hospital to stay here with Mom and Dad for a little bit. Come to think of it, that may have actually been the last time I was here. Wow," Jefferson sighed in disbelief.

"Jeff, that's crazy. That's was over four years ago."

"Well that answers that question. I was just about to ask you how old Luce is now," he chuckled. "Should I be embarrassed that I don't know that...?" he asked as he glanced sideways at Regina and squinted.

"Probably but hey I'm sure all was forgiven when Mom and Daddy's baby boy showed up at the front door, right?" Regina said with a grin.

Jefferson laughed. "Yeah I think Mom almost fainted. Literally. I'm telling you, sis, she practically lost her balance and fell backwards. Good thing Dad was standing behind her when she answered the door."

They had reached the kitchen and still had not found their parents yet. As they stood each mentally deciding where to look for them next, Regina turned to face her brother and asked in a very hurt tone, "But Jeff why did you wait so long to come home? Boston is only half an hour away, 45 minutes depending on traffic. Or you could have called Z or me whenever you wanted. You know we'd always have answered. And you know that Mom and Daddy would have been less worried about you if you just called them at least once a month. Why the silent treatment? We're your family," Regina said, the anguish clear in her breaking voice.

"Gina, I know we're both gay but for me it was always different. I was one of the only out kids at school. And I think because I was a guy, Mom and Dad just assumed that I was both sexually active and always on the 'gay scene' in the city so they put more pressure on me and worried about me way more that I thought necessary. They just saw me as the boy that they had raised but I guess when I finally thought I had officially become a man I just wanted to get away from all that. I wanted my complete freedom, no ifs ands or buts about it. No one was going to stop me from doing what I wanted when I wanted and with whom I wanted. I know how dumb that sounds now but at the time it made complete sense to me."

Regina nodded as she listened to her little brother's sentiments. "So then what's changed now? What finally brought you back home?"

Jefferson chuckled and scratched the back of his head looking down at the floor as he said, "Well...it's more like who. I've met someone. And I really feel like he might be _the one_." Jefferson grinned at his sister.

"Hmmm...that something that seems to be going around lately..." Regina said as an aside.

"Huh? What was that, sis?"

Before Regina could decide whether she wanted to simply answer him or avoid the question, her parents both walked in from the backyard. Her father was carrying Luce in his arms. Regina hadn't even realized that her daughter had gone out the backdoor in search of her parents while she and Jefferson were talking. "Hey Mom, hi Daddy."

"So I see you've found your long lost brother," Cora said with a huge smile on her face.

Jefferson rolled his eyes but grinned at his mother. "C'mon Ma, I thought we said you weren't gonna make any more jokes like that today."

"You really expect me to not say anything after you've neglected your family for practically your niece's entire life. You know me better than that, baby boy."

"Well when you put it like that...I guess a few well deserved jabs should be expected."

"Oh you know it, mijo," Henry chimed in.

All of the adults laughed together at that. Then Lucy suddenly asked, "Can me and Uncle Jeff go play outside mommy?"

Regina looked at her brother who shrugged his shoulders. "I don't see why not, mija."

Henry handed his granddaughter over to his son, and Jefferson carried Luce and put her down right before they reached the back door. As soon as he opened it for her she took off into the spacious backyard. "Luce, wait up!" Jefferson called as he took off after her.

The rest of the Mills family all turned their heads toward them and smiled simultaneously. "It's a wonder she even knows him," Cora commented, amazed at their seemingly instant connection. "How did you manage that Gina?"

"Oh, I follow Jeff on all of this social media accounts. Since I figured it was the only way I'd see him after awhile. Whenever I saw a good post he made especially one with a clear picture of him, I showed it to Luce and told that that was her Uncle Jeff."

"Hmmm...I guess there are some beneficial uses to all of the social media stuff after all," Henry admitted.

"I don't know about any of that," Cora contributed. "We just automatically assign all our youngest staff members to take care of our social media accounts down at City Hall. It seems to work out for the best."

"Well that's actually another aspect of my job, Mom. Belle, Kathryn and I are all active on our library's social media. It's really helped me to become more adept at it in my personal life. That's what actually made me try to even find Jeff's accounts."

"Still a little upset about that comment I made at the farmer's market, dear? It was only a jest."

Regina mock rolled her eyes. "I know, Mom. So when are Zelena, Robin and the kids getting here? I can't wait to see her reaction. Robyn and Roland might actually still remember him."

"They said they'd be here around noon, mija," Henry answered.

"Okay, well, we should probably get started on dinner then right mom?"

"Sure. Why not, dear."

"I'm going to go outside and see what they've gotten up to before I come back inside to watch some of the pre-game," Henry stated.

"Okay, Daddy. Keep and eye on them for me will you?"

Henry chuckled as he walked away to join his son and granddaughter in his backyard. "Of course, mija."

* * *

On the other side of town, Emma awoke to the sound of her house phone ringing. _Who the hell is_ _calling me on a Sunday morning_ , she thought as she drowsily made her way into the living room to answer the phone. "Hello?" Emma said as she stifled a yawn.

She was met with the broguish accent of her coworker, Killian Jones. "Swan! Why aren't you answering your cell phone?"

"What?" Emma said sleepily. "What do you mean? I didn't hear it ring this morning."

"When I called you it went straight to your voicemail."

Emma immediately had the image of putting her phone on her night stand last night without connecting it to her charger before she went to sleep. She mentally berated herself for her mistake. "My bad, Killian. I'm pretty sure I forgot to charge it while I slept. What's up though?"

"Swan I really hate to do this to you but I could really use your help. I actually called you last because David and Mary Margaret are still on their mini vacation until tomorrow and August said that he had some kind of family dinner with his new boyfriend that he just couldn't risk missing. So you're my last hope."

Emma chuckled into the phone. "Killian, calm down I can help you, dude. I just need to drop Henry off with my mom and throw on some clothes before I can meet you. Just tell me when and where."

After Killian had given Emma all of the pertinent information, she hung up and immediately went back to her room to charge her phone as much as she could while she got ready. She used her house phone once again to call her mother and ask her to watch Henry for her, hopefully for just a few hours. Her mother actually suggested that she come over to her apartment to take care of Henry there since she assumed that he was more than likely still asleep. And she didn't want Emma to go through all of the trouble of waking him up in order to get him ready to go his grandmother's house. Henry was not much of a morning person so Emma was truly grateful for her mother's suggestion, which gave her more time to meet Killian in the city.

Emma heard a knock on her door just as she was putting her boots on and zipping them up on her love sofa. She jumped up to answer it. Upon unlocking and opening the door she gave her mother a hug in greeting. "Hey, Mom. Thanks so much for doing this."

Ingrid Fisher gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek before letting her go completely and stepping through the door into the apartment. "It's no problem at all, honey. You know I love spending time with my only grandson." She smiled as she walked past Emma to deposit her purse on the kitchen counter. "I assume he's still asleep then."

"You know it!" Emma responded. "You know where everything is, Mom. Can you make sure to give him a kiss for me when he wakes up?"

"Of course."

"Thanks again. I'll give you a heads up when I'm on my way back, okay?"

"Sounds good, honey. Be careful," Ingrid said with worry in her voice.

Emma grinned at her mother as she said, "I always am." She gave her a kiss on the cheek before grabbing her keys and leaving her home.

* * *

As Emma drove towards the city to meet Killian, she double checked that her wallet was still in her glove compartment. She knew that was a silly and irresponsible place to keep it but more often than not she found that if she took it inside her home with her she would forget it the next time she walked out her door. She liked to travel light with just her phone in her back pocket and car keys in her hand wherever she left her house, with or without Henry. At a red light, she texted Killian to see if he was already there. She was only a few blocks away from their agreed upon meet up spot. He confirmed that he was already there sitting in his car waiting for his guy to come out of a sports bar. Emma had immediately recognized the place when Killian had given her the address. It was just one step up from being a shady dive bar. So she easily understood why Killian might want help with someone who would frequent such an establishment.

She parked her car in the next block over and walked to join Killian sitting in his car. The door was unlocked when she got there. "Top o' the morning to you, laddie," she dorkily greeted Killian as she slid into his front passenger seat.

"Hey Swan," he chuckled as his eyes stayed glued to the bar's front door entrance.

"So how exactly did you end up needing my help with this guy?" Emma inquired genuinely.

"Well, I've actually been tracking him for over a week now but I keep missing him. Well...more like he keeps narrowly escaping me. At this point, I don't even know if he's doing it intentionally or not. Anyway I got a tip from one of my most reliable informants that he usually spends Saturday nights here, passes out and doesn't end up leaving until the next morning. So I've decided to sit here and wait for him to come out."

Emma chuckled. "Dude, I love how you have your little informants like you're a real cop or something."

"Shut up, Swan," Killian responded, still starring at the bar's entrance.

"If you knew for a fact that he was in there since last night why didn't you just go in there and get him between then and now?"

"Because, _Swan_. Like I told you before, it's pretty much just a dive bar. I'd have no idea what I'm walking into if I tried to take him in alone. And I'm not risking hurting this pretty face in a stupid bar fight or something." Killian finally took his eyes off the door and turned his head to give Emma a super fake, giant smile. Then he turned his head back a second later. "I figure it'd be way easier to snatch him up now. Besides he'll probably still be drunk off his ass from last night if he ends up staying in there all night."

"Alright. Good point, Jones. So why did you need my help then?"

"Well apparently he was some kind of track star a little bit ago but I figure if he takes off you'll still probably have a good chance of catching him," Killian stated matter-of-factly.

Emma didn't even say anything to that. She just gave him some serious side eye.

"What? I'm man enough to admit that you're way faster than me, Swan. Plus I figure you can kind of get him running in a certain direction and I can help by cutting him off from a different one."

"Okay," Emma relented. "I actually kind of like this plan." She grinned as she asked him, "So what did you say that August had going on that he couldn't help you?"

"Oh he's got some type of semi-important dinner where he's going to be introduced to his new boyfriend's family. I think he said that was in some town called Storybook or something... I don't know."

Emma was only have listening as she had joined Killian in watching and waiting for their guy to come out of the dive bar. "Well that sounds nice... Hold on! Do you mean Storybrooke? The town where I live!?"

"Yeah! That's the one!" Killian exclaimed. "No wonder why it sounded so familiar to me."

"I wonder who he's dating there," Emma said to herself. "It's a pretty small town. I'd probably actually know who it is."

"Not sure," Killian said. "All I know is that he's head over heels for this guy which is surprising for him. The one time he actually ventures into a club and he finds the love of his life."

"Woah. Is it that serious though?"

"Swan, I'm telling you I've never seen him like this before. And I've seen him with a lot his ex-boyfriends."

"Oh, come on. August isn't a player. He's only got a few exes," Emma defended her long-time friend.

"Yeah you're right. I'm just saying...this guy, whoever he is, he's definitely different from all the others."

"Well good for him. That seems to be going around lately," Emma stated.

But their skip had just exited the building as Killian was about to ask what Emma meant by her last statement. "Okay, Swan you've got this. He walking exactly in the direction we need him to be. That street dead ends at an alleyway which comes back around to the rear entrance of the bar. Actually I don't even know why he's walking in that direction if it literally doesn't go anywhere. Anyway. You follow him. I'm going to cut thru the bar, go out the back entrance and cut him off there. Sound good to you?"

"Sounds like a plan," Emma answered.

The bounty hunters simultaneously stepped out of the car and closed their doors. Killian walked towards the bar while Emma subtly followed their skip. Not too closely but close enough that he wouldn't be able to easily evade her if he did indeed take off. Killian was right. This guy was walking to nowhere. I guess he was still wasted. So much so that when he reached the alleyway and Emma suspiciously followed him into it, he didn't even notice the weirdness of the situation. They turned another corner and sure enough were now behind the bar. Emma spotted Killian leaning with one foot against the wall casually smoking a cigarette as the skip walked slowly towards him. Now Emma knew why he really needed her help. He must have finally given up on the patch and started smoking again recently. Killian always blamed his habit on being European but Emma knew that if he actually put some effort into it, he could break his unhealthy habit.

Emma momentarily got lost in her thoughts and tripped loudly on a discarded beer can. The man turned around suddenly at the noise and unfortunately for Emma suddenly noticed the oddness of the situation. She could see something click and he took off running for the back entrance of the bar. Probably figuring that he could cut back thru and run the right way down the street towards a different part of the city. As he almost reached the door though, Killian stuck out his foot into his path and sent the man flying straight into the side of a dumpster. Emma had caught up with them by then. Killian flicked his cigarette before trotting over to get the man to his feet. Emma was right behind him.

"Come on, mate. Make this easier on yourself and just stand up. You've got nowhere to go."

Unbeknownst to the bounty hunter, their skip had found a huge piece of glass under the dumpster where he landed and had decided to not go down without a fight. As Killian reached down to get the man up he swung the jagged piece of glass and caught him in the arm, ripping through his jacket sleeve and actually drawing blood. Killian immediately jumped back instinctively covering up his wound with his other hand.

"You want some of this blondie?" the man asked menacingly now turning towards Emma. He held the glass so tightly that Emma could see blood dripping from his hand. Killian had backed up all the way to the wall clutching his arm in pain, leaving the pathway open for their skip to still get away thru the bar. He and Emma looked at the door at the same time and then back at each other before they both sprinted to it. Emma was faster and pulled the door open right into the man's nose. He cried out in pain, dropping his weapon and holding his nose with both hands. "Oh my God, lady, I think you broke my nose." His scream was muffled through his hands. Killian, now more recovered, kicked him in the back of his knees to bring him down hard onto his knees on the pavement.

"Serves you right, mate. Thinking that just because she's a woman you could easily take her. She's smarter, stronger and faster than she looks. Good job, Swan." He looked up from the man and addressed Emma directly. "Can you get him up and take him back to my car for me?"

"Sure, Killian."

"Also I'm pretty sure you're going to have to drive for me and then drop me off at the hospital sometime soon. I'm confident that I'm going to need stitches. Dammit! That was my favorite leather jacket!" Killian screamed as they made their back down the alley to his car.

"What are you talking about? I'm pretty sure you own like four more of those."

"Actually, for your information, _Swan_ , I do own a lot of black leather jackets but they're all different styles."

"Wow, you could've fooled me, man," Emma chuckled lightly at her partner. Getting a good look at how much blood was on his hand made her truly grateful that she wasn't in his place. But she couldn't stop herself from analyzing how easily that could have been her.


	9. Chapter 9

All of the Millses were currently standing in different spots around the kitchen doing different activities but generally enjoying being in each other's company. Regina and her mother were washing vegetables in the farmhouse sink. Henry was standing at the large island in the center of the kitchen watching lovingly over Jefferson and Lucy as they sat together coloring in the same book.

That's when Regina decided to take the opportunity to question and possibly embarrass her little brother. "So Jeff do you want to tell us who this someone is who's caused you to come back to us...?" Regina asked still facing the sink.

Jefferson immediately looked up from his coloring and noticeably blushed, not giving Regina an immediate answer.

"What's this now?" Cora asked.

"Mijo, you have a new man in your life?" Henry said.

"Yeah," Regina chimed in. "And apparently he's a special one. Right, Jeff?" She grinned as she finished rinsing what she had in her hand, setting them on the counter, wiping her hands dry with a dishtowel and spinning around to face him.

"Hmmm. Okay, Gina. So that's how we're gonna play it huh?" Jefferson grinned at his sister from across the room. "Well, I figured I'd have plenty of time to ask you, actually more like let you know that I've invited August over to join us for dinner. To introduce him to you. That's actually why I came over so early. I figured I'd soften the blow of this sudden news."

"Dios mio! Well your appearance was surprise enough already but now you're telling us you're also bringing a boy home to meet us!" Henry exclaimed. "This has never happened before," he continued in a shocked tone.

"Well, dear he hasn't been home in the last few years to even have the chance to do so," Cora added, turning around from the sink and quirking an eyebrow pointedly at her son.

"Oh Mom, give him a break. You better be nice or you'll drive him away again," Regina joked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cora asked.

Regina ignored her mother's question and continued, addressing her brother. "So what's this August like, how'd you meet him? Tell us everything."

Jefferson chuckled. "Well I'm certainly not going to tell you everything, sis. But I can tell you that we met in a nightclub."

"Typical," Cora quickly huffed under her breath but loudly enough that everyone actually heard her.

"Mom, shhhh," Regina admonished. "Go on, Jeff." She smiled at him.

"Well it's actually weird and I guess kind of meant to be because August rarely if ever goes out to nightclubs and the night that we met I had to practically be dragged there by my friends. I had actually just suffered a pretty recent breakup and they thought that they could make me feel better with a night of drinking and dancing."

"Oh so he's just a rebound then," Cora stated more than asked.

"Mother!" "Cora!," Regina and Henry yelled at the same time.

Cora put her hands up in surrender. Then she made a key locking a door motion on her lips as Henry and Regina continued to both glare at her.

"Anyway, we accidentally bumped into one another at the bar," Jefferson continued, grinning as he reminisced.

"Wait...I thought you said you didn't know him previously?" Regina questioned.

"I didn't. I mean we physically bumped into each and simultaneously spilled our drinks. It was pretty crowded that night and we kinda got pushed into each other at the same moment."

"Awww...what a good little meet cute," Regina said.

"I guess," Jefferson responded as he shrugged his shoulders and blushed. "Anyway, after accompanying each other to the bathroom to get cleaned up we ended up back at the bar buying each other replacement drinks and we just really hit it off."

"That sounds nice, mijo," Henry said with a huge smile on his face.

"Thanks, Dad. That was just a couple of months ago and we're already talking about getting a place together. It feels fast but not at the same time, you know. I really really like him. Like a lot."

"A lot a lot?" Regina asked quoting one of her favorite movies.

Jefferson smiled at his sister. He had really missed this. He and his sisters had a kind of shorthand language growing up from all of their favorite movies that they watched over and over again together.

"Yes, Gina," he chuckled in response. "We're so serious about each other that-" Jefferson stopped himself. Then he whispered, "that we haven't even had S-E-X together yet."

"What's sex?" Lucy asked absentmindedly as she continued to look down concentrating on her coloring.

All of the adults' eyes went wide before they immediately burst out in laughter.

"Sorry, Jeff. She's really smart. She's in Pre-K too so she's been really putting that intelligence to work lately."

"Well Luce," Jefferson said, looking down at his niece as she had stopped coloring to actually look at him and listen to his answer. "Sex is something that adults do together when they love each other very much. Or sometimes just for fun, but your mom can explain that more to you when you're older," he said, looking up and winking at Regina.

"On that note...," Cora finally decided she was allowed to speak again. "Regina how did the rest of your night with Emma go?" she asked with a smirk on her face, turning to face her youngest daughter.

It was Regina's turn to blush as she grabbed her cleaned vegetables and walked to a different part of the counter to begin chopping them. "Fine, Mom. Thanks for asking," was all she said.

"Wait, who's Emma?"

"Emma's my best friend Henry's mommy. We saw them yesterday when Henry came over to play with me," Luce supplied as she had gone right back to her coloring.

"Okay...," Jefferson said with a confused look on his face. "So how did Mom get from me and my boyfriend not having sex yet to you and this Emma woman?"

"Jefferson!" Regina yelled. "Didn't we just go through this? You're sitting next to a four year old child."

"What! Just because she knows how to spell it doesn't mean that she knows what it means. I think we've clearly established that," he chuckled in response to his sister's scolding.

"Well, still...," Regina huffed.

Cora just laughed at the exchange between her two younger children and asked, "Just 'fine'? That's it, dear?"

"Yeah," Regina responded airily. "After you dropped us off the children continued playing while Emma and I talked and watched a movie as we waited for our pizza to arrive."

"What'd you talk about?" Cora continued to obviously pry.

Jefferson didn't even try to hide his smirk as he continued coloring with Luce and listened to his sister try to unsuccessfully to avoid their mother's inquisition. Henry did the same as he continued to stand and watch his son and granddaughter fondly.

"Oh just movies and TV shows and high school and Emma's job," Regina listed.

"Hmm," Cora hummed. "What is her job anyway? That subject never came up while we were at the farmer's market," she asked as she concentrated on cutting her portion of the vegetables.

"Funny you should say that, Mom. That's what Emma said last night when she told me that she's a bounty hunter."

"Well that's an interesting trade," Henry contributed.

"Wait," Jefferson said, looking up suddenly from his coloring. "Did you say bounty hunter? How weird is that. That's what August does too."

It suddenly clicked for Regina that Jefferson's August was more than likely the same August that Emma said she worked with. _What are the odds?_ Regina thought as she turned again to face her brother. "Jeff I think that August and Emma actually probably work together from time to time," Regina stated.

"You know what? I think you're probably right, sis. One of August's best and oldest friends is named Emma. He's got a few pictures of them together at his place. He said that they once lived in the same foster home as kids and they really bonded. Is she kind of a gorgeous blond with long hair? Always wears skinny jeans, tall boots and a red leather jacket?" Jefferson asked.

"Yes! That's like a perfect description of Emma. And she is gorgeous," Regina let slip before she could stop herself. She turned back to her cutting as her face turned a deeper shade.

All of the other adult Millses smirked at her admission. Although she couldn't see any of their facial expressions.

* * *

A couple of hours later, the eldest Mills child arrived with her family. And upon seeing her little brother, she immediately screamed and dropped everything she was holding in her hands to sprint over to hug him, barely slowing down as she collided into him, squeezing as hard as she possibly could. "Jeff, oh my god," she said in his ear, reluctant to let him go just yet.

"Hi, Z," he whispered back unable to say it any louder because she was hugging him so fiercely.

When they finally parted, Zelena proceeded to punch her brother on his arm. "You asshole! What the hell have you been doing all these years?!"

"Mom did you just cuss at Uncle Jeff?" Roland asked, walking into the kitchen with the bags that she had dropped upon her arrival.

"Yes, mijo, but that's the least he deserves for putting us through what he did," Zelena said still looking at her brother as she answered her son.

"Holy shit, Roland, is that you?! Dude, you're huge!"

"Hey, Uncle Jeff. Yeah, us kids tend to keep growing even when you're not around."

Jefferson was taken aback by his nephew's hopefully sarcastic but more likely snide remark and immediately gave his older sister a look.

"Yeah... He's just started doing that lately. We're hoping it's just a phase."

"Uncle Jeff, you're back!" Robyn ran excitedly past her mother towards her uncle.

"Hey, Robyn!" Jefferson said as he bent over to scoop his older niece into his arms for a hug and a kiss. "Now this is how you greet your long lost uncle," he said to his sister still holding her daughter.

Robin was bringing up the rear with a smile. After Jefferson had put Robyn down, he went in for a hug. Slapping him on the back as they separated he said, "Hey Jeff. It's so good to see you, mate," in his still quite English accent. "I'm glad to see you're okay."

"Yes, alive and doing well apparently," Cora said, coming up from behind Jefferson to greet her daughter and the rest of her newly arrived family. "And...we'll be meeting his new boyfriend later at dinner."

"Oh really...?" Zelena said with a smirk.

"Jeez, Mom. Let them at least be here for five minutes before spoiling my good news," Jefferson said with a dramatic roll of his eyes.

Now that everyone was there and congregating in the kitchen, it truly felt like home to Jefferson. He couldn't believe that he had stayed away for so long. He had definitely missed this. He smiled to himself as he looked around the room. Zelena, Robin and Henry were standing near the island discussing the upcoming chances for another win for the Pats. Cora, Regina and now Lucy, who had joined in to help them prepare dinner and was now standing on her step stool at the counter, were standing together and laughing at something funny that Lucy presumably said. Robyn had actually taken over coloring in Luce's book and Roland was doing something on his phone although he kept looking up and offering his opinions about the game to his parents and grandfather. As Jefferson took in the sights, he suddenly realized that he absolutely couldn't wait to introduce his boyfriend to his family.

* * *

Regina was finally resting after she, her mother and Luce had successfully put dinner in the oven. She decided to go join most of her family in her parents' massive yet homey and comfortable family room to watch a little bit of the football game with them. Everyone but Robyn, Cora and Luce were currently in there. Cora has agreed to watch the girls as they played together outside and to keep an eye on their dinner.

Regina plopped down in the only available arm chair facing the tv. She smiled as she noticed Roland intently using his phone to text someone. She could tell because that's what she imagined she looked like last night as she texted with Emma.

Roland's furious texting soon caught the attention of his father. "Hey Roland pay attention to this play. It's the one your coach was trying to teach you guys yesterday at practice." Robin had looked over at his son when his statement had gotten no response. "I thought your mum told you that you weren't allowed to bring your phone to Sunday dinner. Who are even texting?" Robin asked, quirking his eyebrow.

"Oh just a girl from school, Dad," Roland answered without looking up from his phone.

"A girl? Son, you're ten. What do you even know about girls?"

"Plenty," he responded before his dad snatched his phone away from him. "Hey! What's the deal with that Dad?"

Jefferson snorted as he laughed and said to Robin, "Maybe it's time you had the talk with you son there, dude."

Zelena, who was sitting beside him on the couch, slapped him on the nearest arm. "Shut up, Jeff. I think we're going to have to pass on that oh so helpful parenting advice. Speaking of girls though, Gina, who's Emma?"

Regina opened her mouth to respond but then only sat their gaping, struggling for an answer for her sister.

"Close your mouth, mija, or you're sure to catch flies," Henry said as his eyes stayed glued to his big screen high def TV and the exciting game that was taking place.

Regina finally regained her voice. "She just a friend...a new friend actually. She's Luce's best friend's mom. We only just had a playdate yesterday after meeting for the first time recently though. Why do ask?"

"Calm down, sis," Zelena chuckled. "Jeff and Dad just can't stop gushing about her. And I didn't want to be left out of the loop on any new developments in your love life, that's all," she finished, looking away from her little sister and back at the television screen. Everyone cheered loudly as the Patriots scored another touchdown to take the lead.

Regina, feeling newly rested, decided to join her mother, daughter and niece outside on this beautiful autumn day. She took her leave of the sports fans and grabbed her coat before going outside through the kitchen door. She found Cora sitting on the deck in a chair watching her granddaughters run around the huge backyard gathering leaves from the one of the many trees that adorned her parents' well groomed backyard.

As Regina sat down in a chair next to her, Cora said, "Soon it'll be time to get the gardeners to start raking them up." She nodded her head towards the small pile of leaves that the cousins were making together.

"Mmmhmm. It such a gorgeous day, Mom," Regina said, closing her eyes and turning her head up towards to sky. She reopened them when she felt her mother's gaze on her.

"Can you believe that my baby is finally home?" she asked.

"I know," Regina responded still a little shocked about this fact herself.

"And that he's bringing his boyfriend to dinner."

"Well technically, Mom, he invited August over to meet us. I mean, Jeff's already here."

Cora ignored her daughter's smart alec remark and blatantly asked her, "So how long do you think it'll be before you bring Emma and Henry over here to meet everyone." She smirked as she looked away from her daughter to keep an eye on her granddaughters.

"Mom...," Regina whined in response. "We literally only became friends yesterday at the playdate. Before that she was just some woman I made small talk with on a park bench as our children played together."

"Oh please, Gina. You two are already more than that to each other and you know it. In fact, I would say everyone knows it at this point."

"Any by everyone, you mean you and daddy. Or do Jeff and Z know all about our impending love affair too at this point," Regina asked, giving her mother a sidelong look.

Cora chuckled. "So by your own admission, you do feel pretty strongly about her then...?" Cora pushed.

"I was just being facetious, Mom. I think you know that."

Cora turned to fully face her daughter wearing a serious expression. "Honey I just want you to be honest with not only me but yourself. I caught on to the your little side comment earlier about driving Jeff away. It's been something that your father and I have discussed at great length and we long ago came to the conclusion that our projected fears were most likely the cause of your brother deciding to keep his distance from us for so long. But, Gina, honey, you're different. You've been through-" Cora interrupted herself to take a deep breath before continuing, "Actually I think you've unknowingly put yourself through so much emotionally most of your entire adolescent and adult life. You're such an introverted person, honey. And I've always understood that. It's shaped who you are as a person and made you into the beautiful young woman that sits in front of me today. I know I may be biased as your mother but I love you so much, sweetheart. And if anyone deserves to find happiness with someone in this world, it's my baby girl."

"Oh, Mom," Regina said, standing up to give her mother a hug. Cora was quick to meet her. "This is the second time I've cried today already," she stated as unshed tears clouded her vision as she continued to hug her mother.

"Group hug!" Robyn and Luce said together as they wrapped their arms around Regina and Cora who were still embracing each other. The two women released each other a little and laughed looking down at the two young cousins.

"Okay, girls. Let's go and make sure that everything in the oven is doing okay," Cora said, picking up Luce. Regina took Robyn's hand as they walked back into the house together.

It was halftime and everyone watching the game had gotten up to walk around and stretch their legs. Robin, Zelena, and Roland stood outside throwing the pig skin around to each other forming an oblong triangle. Jefferson had gone out the front door after getting a text message on his phone. And Henry had joined Regina, Cora, Robyn and Lucy in the kitchen as he tried to sneakily grab a snack before dinner.

Just as the second half was about to begin, Robin, Zelena and Roland came back inside to go back to family room to finish watching the game. So everyone happened to still be standing in the kitchen when Jefferson walked in holding the hand of a rather handsome dark-haired man with an attractive 5 o-clock shadow, and beautiful blue eyes. He followed Jefferson into the room with a pleasant smile on his face. Jefferson was absolutely beaming with pride.

"So you must be August," Henry was the first to greet the man.

"Yes, sir, I am," August responded, letting go of Jefferson's hand to take Henry's profferd one.

Jefferson stood to the side to let the two men shake hands.

Cora was the next person to greet their guest. She walked right up to him and gave him a hug. August looked down at her, the shock evident on his face, but he hugged the petite woman back nonetheless. "And I'm Cora, Jeff's mom."

"Wow I actually thought you were one of his sisters," August said as he pulled back from Cora's embrace.

"Oh, he's a keeper, Jeff," Cora said to her son.

Everyone else had laughed at that. Jefferson then pointed to everyone else in the room. "The redhead is Zelena, or Z, as we all call her. That's her husband, Robin and their oldest, Roland. That's my other sister, Regina, but everyone calls her Gina. And her daughter, little Luce. And finally that's Robyn, Z and Robin's daughter."

August looked at each of them smiling as Jefferson went through his introductions. He then walked up to everyone and shook their hands, making sure to get down to each child's level to say hello.

"Okay, well we're missing the third quarter everyone. Let's get back to the family room the see if the Pats can pull out this win."

Upon Jefferson's suggestion, mostly everyone made their way back into the family room. As they did, Regina, who stayed behind in the kitchen, could just hear August saying, "Yeah let's go see if my Ravens can pull this one out. We could really use the win." As Regina winced at this comment, everyone else literally and dramatically stopped in their tracks.

"Lo siento. Uh...what was that August? You're a fan of one of our team's biggest rivals?" Henry asked incredulously. Everyone had turned to stare at him awaiting his response.

"Yeah, well I was born there so... It's a way for me to keep some loose ties to my roots," August answered.

Everyone looked back at the family's patriarch in high anticipation of his response. Henry just laughed as he continued walking towards the family room and everyone else followed suit. "That's okay, mijo, we'll let that one go for now. But I don't know how my mijo could have fallen for a Baltimore fan," he chuckled.

Everyone else audibly exhaled at the conclusion of the exchange, including Regina from her seat in the kitchen. Cora had joined her granddaughter and niece at the island for a coloring session. "Well that was a close one," Regina said.

"Oh I wasn't worried about that at all," Cora responded. "Your father may take his love of Boston sports seriously but he's never been one of those diehard fans who hates all other fans from other teams."

"Hmmm. Good point, Mom."

* * *

At the conclusion of the game, everyone moved into the dining room to the large beautifully set table to finally enjoy the meal. It turned out that the Baltimore Ravens had in fact squeaked out a narrow overtime victory and given the New England Patriots their first loss of the season. It seemed like mostly everyone took their seats in the dining room ready to eat their feelings. All except August of course, who had apparently won a friendly bet guaranteeing that his team would indeed win. It was a bet just between he and Jefferson though so no one really knew what the prize was. But by they way they kept touching each other and sharing loving glances, the adults had a pretty good idea of what that prize was.

Once everyone was seated around the table, they held hands and bowed their heads as Henry lead them in a quick prayer. The bulk of which found him thanking God for bringing his son back into his family's lives and introducing them to the newest member of their family, August. The latter subject of the prayer visibly had tears in his eyes at its conclusion.

"So can I ask a couple of questions?" August said after finishing his latest bite of probably the most delicious food he had ever had in his entire life.

"Of course, sweetie," Jefferson answered. Regina and Zelena shared a look of amusement across the table at their brother's response to his boyfriend.

"Thanks, babe. So you guys are a gorgeous family but how does Zelena have naturally red hair while Jeff and Gina are both brunettes? I don't mean to offend anyone but science was never really my strongest subject in school and I never had any real brothers or sisters of my own, so... The general concept just kind of escapes me."

"Oh, it's just genetics, dear," Cora responded. "One of my aunts actually had hair as red as Zelena's. I always just assumed that's who she inherited it from."

Henry decided to add to the conversation "Since she was our first child I honestly thought that they had given us the wrong baby at the hospital. I was pretty sure for just a little bit that it was either that or your mother had found the time to cheat on me with that Dr. Hopper who we went to school with."

"Dad! Daddy!" his three children yelled in unison.

"What?" Henry chuckled as he caught some food that had fallen from his mouth. "Lo siento, but it was a real shock when they pointed out my first-born daughter to me and she had a head full of red hair. You know, being a Latino man and all. Although it was the late eighties and I was definitely allowed to be in the birthing room with your mother I was too nervous and I didn't want my anxiety to add to your mother's already scary and painful ordeal."

August nodded his head in understanding before taking another healthy bite from his plate.

"But once my other mija and my mijo were born, I had overcome my fears of being a first time father and made sure that I was in the room both times with my wife then."

"That's awesome," August said. Then her turned toward the Locksley end of the table addressing Robin directly. "So is that an English accent you have there, Robin?"

Robin cleared his throat and took a sip of his wine before fully swallowing his current bite. "Yes, it is," he answered. "My parents moved us here right before my freshman year."

"Oh, okay. And Jeff told me that you two are high school sweethearts?"

"Yes, we are," Zelena answered. "We were pretty cliché actually. The head cheerleader and the co-captain of the football team. Homecoming King and Queen and all that."

"Wow, really?" August asked, genuinely surprised.

"Yup, mate. Moving to America and going from boarding school to a public high school wasn't exactly an easy adjustment for me at the start. Going from archery to American football wasn't easy either. Let me tell you. The term culture shock didn't even scratch the surface of what I was feeling at the time. But I figured if I wanted to not stick out like a sore thumb I should just join one of our school's sports teams. It definitely helped me to fit in more and get my bearings a little bit quicker. And it gave me my beautiful wife and children. So I'd say it all worked out for me."

"Me too, Robby." The husband and wife leaned toward each other for a quick kiss, immediately followed by noises of disgust from their children at their parents' public display of affection.

The rest of the dinner went as smoothly as it usually did. And by the end of it August felt like he was truly a member of the family. Everyone had congregated into the family room again to watch the end of the second broadcasted game. They were all spread out and lounging everywhere between all of the room's furniture and the carpeted floor. Regina found herself in the one person armchair again. She didn't care about the teams that were playing so she had decided to text Emma to distract herself.

 _*What are up to?*_

It was only what felt like a split second before Regina got a response from Emma.

 _*Nothing much. Just sitting in a hospital waiting for my partner to finish getting some stitches*_

 _*Oh no! What happened? Is he going to be okay?*_

 _*Yeah he's going to be fine. We had a run in with a drunk skip today and he put up a fight. Killian's arm got slashed by a broken piece of glass the guy picked up*_

 _*Oh my god! That sounds kind of serious*_

 _*Yeah but after a few stitches and a round of antibiotics he'll be good as new ;) *_

 _*This may sound terrible but I'm so glad that it was him instead of you*_

 _*Awwww...thanks Gina. I'll be sure to tell Killian that you said that*_

 _*Wait I thought you said you weren't on call this weekend*_

 _*No I wasn't originally but Killian really needed my help today and I had nothing else to do. Besides I could always use the money*_

Regina shook her head as she read Emma's last text. She then happened to look up and lock eyes with August for a second. They gave each other a warm smile before looking back at their respective screens.

 _*So guess who's sitting here in my parents' living room with my entire family watching a football game?*_

 _*Idk. Who?*_

 _*August Booth*_

 _*No way! How? Why? Seriously. Mind. Blown*_

Regina laughed out loud at this and suddenly everyone's eyes were momentarily on her.

"How come Auntie Gina gets to be on her phone?" Roland complained.

"One, because she's an adult and two, because she's been a participant of our Sunday family dinners for way longer than you have," his mother answered with a smirk.

"And she does most of the cooking every week," Robin added. "I think she's earned it, son."

Roland exhaled dramatically before refocusing his attention on the football game. Everyone else soon did the same.

Regina then decided to go upstairs to her old room for some more privacy. She quietly slipped out of the room only to have her seat immediately occupied by her mother with Luce sitting on her lap. They had previously been sitting side by side on the carpeted floor. Apparently no one minded that Regina had chosen to temporarily ditch her family.

As she walked up the wide staircase, Regina smiled at the pictures along both walls filled with images of her brother, sister and herself from infancy all the way up to young adulthood. She texted Emma again as she walked.

 _*Yeah well my whole family had our minds collectively blown today. Jeff finally came home for Sunday dinner*_

 _*OH MY GOD. That's awesome news!*_

 _*It really is. It almost felt like he hadn't been gone at all*_

 _*I'm so happy for you! But wait...what is August doing there then?*_

Regina decided to give Emma a chance to put two and two together herself. She had confidence that her new friend could do so. She smiled widely when she finally received her next text from the other mother.

 _*Don't tell me that Jeff and August are a thing?!*_

 _*HA. Indeed they are*_

 _*This makes more sense then you know. Killian and I were just talking about how August had fallen for some new guy and he was unable to help him out with this skip because he had to meet his guy's family at some dinner in Storybrooke*_

 _*Wow. Our world seems to be getting smaller and smaller now that we're in each other's lives*_

 _*I know right?!*_

 _*So how long have you been at the hospital for now?*_

 _*Since this morning actually. We went to an ER in the city and it's been a typical busy day. So he was listed as a lower priority patient since his bleeding had all but stopped by the time we got here*_

 _*This may seem like a silly question but do you guys have insurance...? As bounty hunters I mean*_

Regina had made it to her childhood bedroom and had immediately slipped off her shoes before sitting on top of the comforter of her neatly made bed. She scooted up to the head of it and propped up some pillows behind her for comfort as she read Emma's response.

 _*Lol. No not really. Killian's actually prob gonna end up using a good portion of the money that we made today on his hospital bill*_

 _*So how does that work for Henry?*_

 _*Oh he's a dependent on my mom's insurance plan. Don't worry I understand how important it is for my very young son to have health insurance*_

 _*Oh no Emma I wasn't trying to imply anything negative towards your skills as a mother*_

 _*It's cool. It was actually her idea to do it. One of the many reasons why I'm so lucky to have her*_

Regina smiled brightly at her phone and decided to steer the conversation in a different direction. Mostly because she was still thinking about the fact that Emma could have been seriously injured at her job today. It could be her being medically attended to in a hospital room instead of sitting in the ER waiting for her coworker.

 _*So now that I have you, do you think we can make some concrete plans to get together again this week?*_

Regina winced and hunched her shoulders together as she nervously awaited Emma's answer.

 _*Well it's like I told you I don't have a regular schedule but I'm willing to chance it and say let's do it! Because I've been able to be home by early evening a lot lately*_

 _*Great! If that's the case, instead of meeting outside at a park playground how about you and Henry come over for one of my homemade meals one night?*_

 _*That sounds awesome. How about we shoot for the same day then. Is Wednesday good for you?*_

 _*Sure! I actually have a shorter shift on Wednesdays so that works out perfectly. It'll give me more time to make a good meal for you and Henry*_

 _*Oh you don't have to make anything special for us. I'm sure whatever you were gonna plan to make for Luce and yourself would be more than fine for me and Henry*_

 _*Okay but I'll def bake us some sort of desert. I'm sure you'll still have room as evidenced by the amount of pizza you easily put away last night*_

 _*LOL. So you noticed that huh? I've kinda always had an bottomless pit for a stomach. Having such a high metabolism doesn't help that either*_

 _*That's okay. I'll just have to pretend that I'm cooking for four adults instead of 2 adults and 2 toddlers and that should give you enough to eat*_

 _*But that's what I'm trying to tell you, there's almost never enough food as far as my stomach is concerned*_

 _*Lol.. Well I'm not going to allow you to eat me out of house and home. But I'll make sure to fill that stomach of yours with my excellent cooking*_

At that moment, Emma noticed Killian walking towards her with his fresh stitches exposed by his rolled up sleeve yet covered by a bandage and his ruined jacket slung over his shoulder. Being distracted, Emma misread Regina's text and her eyes only registered the "going to allow you to eat me out" part. She did a double take, her jaw literally falling wide open as Killian reached her and let her know that they were good to leave.

"Swan? Swan?! Did you hear me? We can go now."

Emma shook her head to clear it and for some reason instantly put her phone in her back pocket to stand up and leave the ER with Killian.

Regina sat there for a few more minutes and when she didn't get a response from Emma, she assumed that their texting session had concluded. She sighed as she got out of her old bed and went back downstairs to join the rest of her family. She had arrived at the bottom of the steps just in time for Jefferson and August's departure.

"Hey, sis. We were wondering where you were," Jefferson said. "August and I are getting ready to leave. Come here and give your baby bro a goodbye hug. We've already said our goodbyes to everyone else."

Regina skipped over to her brother and practically launched herself at him for a tight hug.

"Umph," Jefferson somehow managed to get out. "I love you too, Gina," he said into her hair before he pressed a kiss to her forehead and they released each other.

Regina then turned to hug August just as tightly as she had her brother. "Thanks for bringing him back to us," Regina whispered to August so lowly that no one else could possibly have heard her. She gave him a quick yet tender kiss on his stubbled cheek before they separated.

Having said their final goodbyes, the good looking young couple left the Mills family residence and walked hand in hand out the door before giving each other a kiss and walking towards their respective cars in the large driveway.

A hint of jealousy creeped up on Regina after witnessing how in love her little brother appeared to be with his boyfriend. But she quickly let it go as she walked back towards the family room listening in delight to the laughter and squeals of joy she heard as distinctly coming from her daughter. She had a funny feeling that she was on her way to having something like what Jeff had with August very soon.


	10. Chapter 10

The next couple of work days went by at a normal pace for Regina. She was thankful for that since she thought they would end up dragging along because she was so excited to see Emma again on Wednesday. She had planned on making her famous lasagna and had actually settled on making two pans of it for them. She figured that would be more than enough for the four of them and maybe if Emma didn't finish most of it she could send her and Henry home with the leftovers. Since Emma has said she wasn't that great of a cook, Regina figured after tasting her lasagna Emma would most likely jump at the chance to take more of it home. Plus there was the added bonus of them having to meet up again for Regina to get her pan back. Although she kind of figured that she wouldn't need too many made-up excuses to spend more time with the beautiful blonde and her son.

Regina was finishing up her shift at the circulation desk on Wednesday, her shortest work day, when she looked up from checking in a stack of recently returned books upon hearing a familiar voice.

"Excuse me, Miss. I need some help finding a book to read. Would you be able to give me some suggestions?"

Regina looked up from her work with a huge smile on her face to find Emma standing on the other side of the circulation desk sporting a grin. "Yes, well you know we actually have several adult book clubs that you may be interested in. But, tell me, are you looking for suggestions from any genre in particular?" Regina asked in her professional librarian voice.

Emma chuckled before replying, "Not really. Can I ask what you're reading right now?"

Regina continued beaming at Emma, "Well I'm currently reading a few different books at the same time but the one I'm enjoying the most is the one from our Mystery Book Club. It's called _Big Little Lies_ by Liane Moriarty."

"Oh yeah, I've heard good things about that adapted mini series but I don't have HBO," Emma said.

"Yeah, I wanted to read the book first before watching the series. Hey maybe we can watch it together. I'll be done reading it by the end of this week," Regina suggested.

"So is that the book that you were reading the night after Luce and Henry's playdate?" Emma asked, finally dropping her ruse.

"Yes! Liane Moriarty is quickly becoming one of my favorite new authors. I've only recently discovered her so I didn't even realize that she had so many books already published. I'm actually thinking of forming a new book club where we just read her books exclusively. Then that will give me an excuse to be able to read them for work since I oftentimes find myself feeling like I have homework when I'm reading for my other book clubs. Case in point, Kathryn made me start our classics book club where we read books like _Catch 22_ and _Fahrenheit 451_. I mean, they're good books and we have a good number of people in that group but those types of books just aren't my favorites. And I know that I'd have a good turnout for my proposed Liane Moriarty Book Club. Especially because her latest titles tend to have long hold lists."

Emma chuckled at Regina's enthusiasm. You could tell that she really did love her job.

Regina went back to checking in books while she kept talking to Emma. "So what brings you into your local library today?" she asked, trying but failing at keeping the giant smile off of her face.

"Well, it was a slow day at work because I didn't need to take on any new jobs since I helped Killian this past weekend. Also I didn't really want to risk possibly having to miss our dinner date so I kind of made sure not to take on any new ones. And since our conversations this weekend I've decided to try to take advantage of the wonderful selection that my local library has to offer," Emma replied.

Regina hummed in approval. "Well I can certainly help you with that, Emma. That's what I'm here for after all." She stopped working to look up at Emma as she asked, "Hey where's Henry?"

"Oh, he's downstairs with Ruby at whatever program Belle has going on right now. Actually it should be about over," Emma stated, checking her watch.

Right on cue, Henry and Lucy came running up to the desk from behind Emma, both panting excitedly while holding the artwork that they had made. Emma turned around to pick up her son while Lucy ducked under the entrance to the circulation desk to join her mother.

"Hey, kid, where's your Auntie Ruby?"

"Talking with Miss Belle," Henry answered as he furiously wiggled in Emma's arms which usually indicated that he wanted to be put back down.

Regina who had temporarily stopped her work to bend down and look at the artwork her daughter was trying to show her immediately looked up towards Emma with a knowing smirk on her face. Emma simultaneously looked back at Regina. "Oh really, kid. Well did you and Auntie Ruby have fun with Miss Belle and the other kids and their parents?"

"Yeah but I didn't do a lot with her cuz she was with Miss Belle the whole time," Henry answered absentmindedly as he stood beside his mother admiring his new artwork with pride. Emma gave Regina another pointed look before addressing her son again, "Henry, what do you mean exactly? Like she didn't sit with you or...?"

Henry looked up at his mother as he answered, "Nope! Me and Luce did ours together and Auntie Ruby talked to Miss Belle a lot."

"Interesting stuff," Emma commented.

Just then Henry took off running away from the circulation desk. Emma turned to see him getting scooped up by Ruby who then proceeded to carry him back towards Emma.

"Oh, hey Rubes," Emma greeted her. "Henry was just telling me about how much fun he and Luce had at their program but how you were talking a lot with Belle the whole time." Emma smirked as Ruby blushed at her statement. "So...what were you and Belle talking about?"

"Oh, you know, this and that," Ruby said, generally avoiding the question. "But we do have a date this Friday," she suddenly said with more confidence and excitement in her tone.

"Dude that's awesome!" Emma gave Ruby a high five on the hand that wasn't holding Henry. "See? I told you to just go for it and look how it's worked out. I'm so happy for you, Rubes."

"Congratulations, Miss Lucas," Regina contributed from behind the desk.

"Thank you," Ruby replied. "Oh that's right. You two are a bit of a thing now right? I'm guessing that's how you know about me and Belle?"

Regina blushed at Ruby's question and looked at Emma before saying, "Well we don't really know what we are exactly right now except the mothers of two best friends who get to spend time together because of them."

Emma nodded. "I'd say we're good friends now too though," she said, looking Regina in the eye with a small smile pasted on her face.

"Fast friends apparently since Lucy and Henry have only had the one playdate," Ruby said as an aside.

Neither woman heard her remark though as they were now staring into each other's eyes with matching shy smiles on their faces. When Ruby noticed this happening, she cleared her throat before saying, "So where do you two think I should take Belle for our date? I'm ecstatic that she said yes but in all of my excitement I realized that I don't really have anything planned. I told her it was a surprise but honestly, I've got nothing."

Emma broke away from looking at Regina and Regina went back to checking in books. "Um, I don't know, Rubes. As you so helpfully pointed out the other day, I haven't been on a proper date since before Henry was born. So I don't know how much help I could actually be."

"Well, that's a shame," Regina said mostly to herself as she continued to work. Both Emma and Ruby turned their heads dramatically to look at Regina who instantly blushed after feeling their eyes on her. Emma smiled softly at Regina and Ruby smirked as she looked between the two women. Now she could see with her own eyes how infatuated Emma and Regina were with each other and she had only been in their presence for a few minutes.

"You know what, I'll just ask August. He's got that fancy new boyfriend and he took him out on a lot of dates before they became all serious about each other. Plus he probably knows all of the best yet not too expensive spots in the city. I can't do too much on my waitress salary...," Ruby exhaled.

"Yeah that sounds like a good idea. Hey Rubes have you actually met August's new guy yet?" Emma asked coyly.

"No, not yet. Why?"

"Because apparently he's dating Regina's long lost but recently found brother."

"You're kidding?! Is that true, Regina?" Ruby practically yelled.

"Yes, it is," Regina chuckled. "And keep it down, Miss Lucas. You are still in a library."

"Oh." Ruby winced. "Sorry about that. Hmmm...what a small world," she mused as she took in this new information. "And you can call me Ruby. Especially now that we're most definitely going to be in each other's lives more," Ruby said, giving Regina a cheeky smile.

"It would seem so. I think I can do that though. Ruby," Regina said pointedly but with a smile. "So Emma, what time do you and Henry want to come over for dinner tonight? I'm off in just a few minutes actually."

"Well we're not doing anything else but going over to your house tonight. Why don't we just go home with you and Luce now? Or is that too soon...do you need more time to set up for us or anything...?" Emma asked hesitantly.

Regina chuckled. "No, dear. I keep my house pretty clean most days. Maybe you and Henry can actually help Luce and I prepare the lasagna before we bake it. Luce always finds helping me cook to be really fun."

"Yeah, sure Gina, that sounds awesome! Right Henry?" Emma turned to ask her son who was still in Ruby's arms. Emma did a double take when she saw the expression of pure shock on her friend's face.

"Yeah mommy! Can we go to Miss Gina and Luce house right now?"

Regina's eyes widened slightly at what Henry had just said. She realized quickly that she liked hearing Henry call her by her family's nickname. Emma noticed it too and leaned in to kiss her son on the temple. Apparently he had picked up on his mother using Regina's nickname whenever they spoke.

At that moment, Belle came in to the circulation area to relieve Regina. "Hi, Regina. I can finish checking in those books for you while you and Luce get ready to leave for the day," the small brunette said in her mild Australian accent.

"Hey, Belle. Thanks." Regina placed the scanner back into its cradle and bent down slightly to take Lucy's hand before leaving the circulation desk. "I just have to go into the back office to gather our things," she said, addressing Emma directly. As Regina and Lucy walked away, Ruby put Henry down on the ground. Emma instinctively took her son's hand. She lead him away from the desk towards the front door to wait for Regina and Lucy to return. And also to give Ruby some space to interact with Belle.

Belle had picked up scanning and checking in books right where Regina had left off. She looked up and gave Ruby a smile as Emma and Henry walked away. Ruby returned her smile. "So...Belle, I know we talked a lot during your program but I still don't know what your favorite type of food is?"

Emma smirked as she heard her friend talking with her future date.

* * *

Just a few minutes later, Regina and Lucy joined Emma and Henry by the front door before they all exited the building together to get into their respective cars.

Regina arrived at her house first. Emma was less than a minute behind her. The two women exited their cars and helped their children to get out. The toddlers skipped excitedly together hand in hand ahead of their mothers toward the front door. "Friends hold hands, Luce. 'Member Miss Gina said?" Henry practically screamed as they made their way up the walkway, causing the mothers to smile at him.

Regina opened the front door and as expected Henry and Lucy sprinted for the stairs and presumably to Lucy's playroom.

"Mija!" Regina called after her daughter. "Why don't you and Henry get washed up after you take your coats off so we can start preparing dinner?!"

"Okay, mommy!" Luce answered, already up the stairs.

"What time do you and Luce usually eat dinner? It's still pretty early."

"Hmmm." Regina checked her watch. "I guess it is kind of early to be preparing dinner." She looked back up at Emma. "Well, hey you said didn't have HBO earlier. Would you like to take advantage of my subscription while you're here?"

Emma shrugged her shoulders in response. "Sure. Why not? What do have in mind?" she asked with a grin.

"Well let's not start _Big Little Lies_ just yet."

"Awww," Emma faux pouted. "I was really hoping we could."

"Oh, calm down. Once HBO puts something on demand it pretty much stays there forever. How about we watch...," Regina looked up in thought. "Uh...John Oliver?"

"Oh yeah, I've seen those clips on YouTube but I've never seen a full episode," Emma answered with excitement. "Yeah, let's do it!"

"Okay," Regina chuckled. She shrugged out of her coat and handed it to Emma. "Can you put my coat and your jacket in the hallway closet while I go inform the children that they don't need to wash up?"

"Sure, Gina." Emma somehow knew just the closet that Regina meant even though this was only her second time in her home. She grinned at the domesticity of it all.

After she deposited their outerwear into the closet, she took what she already viewed as her usual seat on the couch and proceeded to go to the on-demand menu and find the latest episode of _Last Week Tonight with John Oliver._ She figured they could work their way backwards air date wise.

She was soon joined by Regina who had apparently left her flats and the cardigan sweater that she previously wore in her bedroom. She was still in her dress pants and button down shirt with a very distracting straining button situation that Emma didn't know how she had missed before now.

"For someone who doesn't have cable you sure do know your way around my remote and the on-demand menu," Regina stated with a chuckle.

"I never said I didn't have cable. Just not any premium channels," Emma said with a lazy grin. "You apparently have them all though."

"It's actually a pretty good deal. I only pay $40 for all of them together. So I just went all in."

"Sweet. I'm not complaining," Emma responded. "So I figured we'd start with the newest one and work our way back. Is that cool?"

"Sounds like a plan to me." Regina readjusted herself on the couch by tucking her feet under her and in the process ended up scooting closer to Emma. To the point where her knees were almost touching the side of Emma's thigh.

Emma didn't know if she had done this on purpose or not but she certainly wasn't going to complain. She decided to sit with her legs just a little bit wider to close the remaining space.

* * *

As they were just about to begin their third episode and possibly fall into a mini-binge session, Regina decided that it was probably time for them to start making dinner so they wouldn't be eating it too late. She asked Emma to go retrieve the children while she went to the kitchen in order to get the needed ingredients, cooking utensils and pans ready.

Emma walked up the stairs and approached the open door of Lucy's playroom stepping lightly. She could hear the children apparently playing with Lucy's teacup set.

"Here Henry. You want more tea?"

"Yes, please. Wait do you have coffee?" Henry replied.

"No. Sorry. Why?" Lucy asked, sounding truly perplexed.

"Cause that what mommy drinks all the time," Henry informed her as if she should already know this fact.

It never ceased to amaze Emma what her son and children his age in general tended to pick up on when it came to the adults in their lives. Therefore, Emma couldn't help chuckling at this interaction as she finally entered the room. "Hey guys, it's time to start making dinner. How about we go and meet Gina in the kitchen?"

They looked up from their tea party upon her entrance and then immediately dropped everything. "Okay!" they screamed in unison before jumping up and running past her out of the room. Emma turned to follow them with a grin on her face.

By the time she had gotten to the kitchen, the two toddlers were already washed up and sporting two cute little aprons. Emma smirked at their cuteness and couldn't help immediately pulling out her phone from her back pocket. She called their names and got them to pose together as she took a quick picture. Regina who was facing away from her turned to look down at the children, wearing her own apron. She smiled at Emma as she asked, "Would you like one?"

"No, I'm good," she answered, returning her smile.

"Okay but don't blame me if and when you get something on your clothes," Regina said in a warning tone. "Have you ever made a meal with a toddler before?"

"Not really, I guess. When I have to cook for us I usually just do it myself since I always end up making something simple. And since I can see the living room from my kitchen in our apartment Henry tends to sit in there and play while I cook. I'm still able to keep an eye on him while I try not to burn or ruin stuff too badly," Emma said with a shrug.

Regina chuckled. "Emma are you really that bad of a cook?" Before Emma can respond she continued, "Well, luckily it's not too hard to mess of my lasagna. It's mostly just putting ingredients together and letting it bake for the right amount of time. Does that sound too hard?"

"Nah. I think I can help you do that. Excuse me, we can help you do that," Emma replied, looking down at Henry. "Right, kid?"

"Right mommy!" Henry looked up and responded happily, taking a break from examining and playing with the tie on his child-sized apron.

Lucy was already standing at one of the counters starting to prepare the bottom layer of the lasagna without Regina's help as Regina grabbed a few of the final ingredients from the refrigerator. She turned to her daughter and asked her to grab their secret ingredient from the lazy susan in the cabinet where they kept most of their spices. Lucy eagerly jumped down from her step stool, scaring Emma in the process but landing safely on the floor before she could even react out loud, to open the cabinet, spinning it until she found what she was looking for.

"What's that?" Emma and Henry asked almost in unison.

"That is our secret ingredient." She winked at both mother and son who were standing side by side just looking at the Mills mother and daughter team. "Red pepper flakes. Gives it a kick," Regina said as Lucy handed her the small container. "Why are you two just standing there? We've got two lasagnas to prepare. Luce, you can show Henry how to make yours while Emma and I work on the other one."

"Wait...we're making two whole lasagnas? Are there more people coming over or something?" Emma asked confusedly.

Regina immediately picked up on the hurt in Emma's voice. She walked over and took her hand leading her to the work area. "No, dear. I just thought with your bottomless pit of a stomach and your self-professed lackluster cooking skills that we'd send you home with plenty of leftovers after trying to fill you up. You do need to save some room for dessert too."

"Oh, okay. Cool. I'm excited. What are we having for dessert?" Emma asked in her usual upbeat tone.

"Apple turnovers. Another one of my favorite recipes," Regina said as she helped Henry up to stand next to Luce on her wide step stool. "Okay, mija. You know what to do but you to need to be careful standing up there together and let me know if you want any help okay?"

"Okay, mommy!'' she answered before turning a little towards Henry and directing him as to what to do next.

"Wow," Emma said. "That's amazing. She really knows how to do that all by herself?"

"Yes she does," Regina answered, beaming with pride. "She's been helping me in the kitchen since she was a little under 2. She seems to love it as much as I do."

"That is truly impressive," Emma responded, still in awe. "And a little embarrassing that a four year old is a better cook than I'll probably ever be."

Regina chuckled. "Well let's put that theory to the test, dear. I'm telling you though, it's really not that hard. Here, let me show you." Regina then proceeded to stand behind Emma, probably unnecessarily so, and reach around her, both arms trapping her between herself and the counter in order to show her how to make her famous lasagna.

* * *

As they let their dinner bake, they all decided to wait in the living room together. After moving the coffee table from in front of the couch, the children were able to play together on the area rug while the two mothers sat on the couch facing each other and talking.

"So you now what I realized?" Emma pondered. "Your last name is Mills. Did you change it back after your husband passed away?"

"Interestingly enough, I never changed it in the first place. For some reason, Daniel wanted our children to be able to carry on the family name. I think because we knew we were going to live here in Storybrooke for the rest of our lives. But I always told him that just because we were going to do that didn't mean that our children would also plan on doing so. It wasn't like we were part of some kind of dynasty or something. I don't know. But with Jeff gone doing God knows what and Zelena taking Robin's name it seemed like a nice sentiment at the time. So I reluctantly agreed but ultimately acquiesced."

"Hmmm...that's nice."

"So this may seem like a weird question but do you and Ingrid have the same last names?"

"Actually, no, we don't. She never pressured me to change it or anything. Actually now that I think about it, it was never even something that came up," Emma answered.

"Oh, so it was never anything that you considered either?"

"Well there's a bit of a sad story behind that actually..." Emma began.

"Oh, I'm sorry Emma. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Regina said.

"No, it's okay. I really want to." Emma then found herself taking Regina's hands in hers more to steady herself emotionally than anything else. Regina looked down at their hands and back up at Emma with a soft smile. "So when I was three, I was adopted by a family who believed that they couldn't have children at the time."

Regina had a feeling she already knew where this story was going. She gave Emma a gentle squeeze for encouragement.

"Well, right after my third birthday, they told me that they had a late birthday surprise for me. That I was going to be a big sister. But as it turned out, they realized, for some reason I'll never understand, that they were a one child family." Emma looked up from telling her story with watery eyes. She stopped to look into Regina's eyes before continuing, "So they sent me back. Almost right after their son was born. I mean, to be honest with you, it was pretty obvious that it was happening. As soon as they brought him home, they pretty much started to ignore me. I was relegated to only certain rooms in the house and taken care of mostly by my nanny. I don't even really remember specific moments. Mostly just the feeling of being unwanted and unloved. Which you can guess is pretty devastating for a three year old. One of the only clear memories I have is of being dropped off at the orphanage and them driving away. They didn't even say goodbye. My dad just dropped me off pretty much at the curb with one of the nuns, got back into their car and never looked back."

Emma sniffled as she concluded her tale. "Their last name was Swan with two n's. I kept the name but I dropped off one of the n's when I learned how to write. I don't even know how or why I was allowed to keep it anyway. I always guessed it was because when I was orphaned as a baby there my last name was unknown. My first name was actually stitched in to the baby blanket that was with me when I was left on the firehouse doorstep. Anyway, I think I kept it as a reminder to never get too attached to any of my future foster families. I didn't want to go through that pain ever again."

Regina gave Emma a watery smile as they sat looking into each other's eyes, still holding hands between them on the couch. Somehow Lucy had noticed that the adults were sad even though they were now smiling and walked over to the couch with a box of tissues. Putting the box down next to the women's conjoined hands she said, "There you go mommy. Tissues are for tears, right?" Both women looked down before laughing lightly and turning towards her as she had walked away to rejoin Henry before either woman could even answer her.

Just then they heard the timer go off for the lasagnas. They reluctantly released each other's hands wiping their eyes of unshed tears and then simultaneously rose from their seats to go into the kitchen together, their children following unbidden. Regina went to grab dinner from the oven and asked Luce to show Emma and Henry where the placemats and silverware were. The three of them set the places around the island and were seated when Regina brought over the lasagna.

"Do you need any help with anything else?" Emma asked.

"Yes, actually. Can you grab a couple of cups for us and two smaller ones for the little ones?"

"Sure!" Emma hopped up before even knowing what cabinet to look in.

"They're in the top cabinet to the left of the fridge," Regina told her right on cue.

Emma nodded and was back at the table with them in record time. Regina chuckled at her eagerness. "What can I get you to drink, Emma?"

"Whatever you're having is cool. I'm not picky. And Henry can have the same as Luce."

"Milk it is then. And I'm just going to have my latest fruity Crystal Lite flavored water."

"Sounds great!" Emma smiled at Regina as she walked towards the refrigerator. "Do you mind if I start serving," Emma asked, practically drooling at the smell of the lasagna.

"No, dear. Please do. I can see the drool forming on your mouth from here," Regina said with a grin.

Emma eagerly plated lasagna for everyone and when Regina returned to the island and finally took her seat, Emma waited a millisecond before digging into the healthy portion of lasagna that she had given herself. She immediately hummed loudly in satisfaction from what she was tasting. Everyone looked up from their first bites and tried not to spit their food out laughing at the immensely pleased woman.

"Oh. My. God. Gina, Luce this is like the best thing I've ever tasted. You two are amazing cooks."

"Thanks Miss Emma!" Luce said with a mouthful of food.

"Mija, swallow first before talking, please. We don't want you choking on your food."

"Mommy why our food not taste this good?" Henry inquired.

Emma's full cheeks went red. And Regina couldn't help laughing heartily. "I don't know, kid. But maybe we'll just have to come over here more often so Luce and Gina can teach us more about cooking. So your mom can make you food that tastes better," she mumbled in the end.

"I'm sure I could definitely teach you a thing or two," Regina said as she looked down at her plate getting another forkful of lasagna.

Had Regina not said this comment under her breath, Emma would have taken it more at face value, but as Regina had uttered it, her statement sounded more like sexy flirtation. And Emma wasn't going to stop it.

"What would you like to teach me, Gina?" Emma said, looking at Regina with a grin. She almost had to stop herself from winking at the woman.

Regina was caught off guard and stopped her fork midway to her mouth. She found herself staring at Emma with her mouth agape.

Emma, meanwhile, just continued to dig into her food seemingly ignoring Regina's reaction. Her chewing subtly hiding the grin on her face.

It was almost a full minute before Regina blinked and then cleared her throat before continuing to eat. She tried desperately to slow her heart rate down to no avail. Just the suggestion of doing "things" to Emma had her more excited than she'd been in a very long time. She smiled to herself at that thought and continued enjoying her meal.

* * *

When everyone had eaten their fill, the toddlers unsurprisingly asked if they could go back upstairs to continue playing. Emma raised her eyebrows in mock shock as she watched the children run away after Regina gave them permission to do so. Emma leaned leisurely against the counter as Regina put dessert into the oven. She tried and failed to not look down Regina's shirt as she bent over but ended up staring just a second too long before Regina caught her eye and immediately noticed the color in Emma's cheeks.

Regina grinned at Emma as she looked down at her shoes waiting for Regina to say something.

"How about we watch another episode of John Oliver while these bake?" Regina suggested, instead of taking a jab at Emma that simply would've been too easy at this point.

Emma whipped her head up and gave a shy response. "Yeah...sure. Sounds good to me."

Then Regina completely surprised her by taking her hand and leading her back into the living room. Emma wore a dopey smile on her face the whole way.

* * *

They had ended up sitting and holding hands while watching the HBO program. Neither woman wanted to be the first one to let go. As the timer went off for the apple turnovers, Regina stood up and lead Emma back into the kitchen. She finally let go of her hand to take the freshly baked dessert out of the oven. A few seconds later, Lucy and Henry were running back into the kitchen together.

"Mommy...," Henry said with his eyes on the ground. "I have to pee pee."

Emma chuckled. "That's okay, bud. You want my help?"

"No. I just don't know where to go..."

"Oh okay," Emma responded.

"Here, I'll show him the way." Regina set the turnovers on the stovetop and walked over to take Henry's hand to lead him to the downstairs bathroom.

"Thanks, Gina."

"Thanks, Miss Gina," Henry said, looking up at her as he walked beside her.

"Anytime, Henry," she said, smiling down at him.

"So, Luce," Emma said as those two left the room. "Tell me. How was Sunday dinner?"

"It was awesome! My uncle Jeff came home and he bought his boyfriend!"

"Oh...that's nice. Hey wanna bet I can guess your Uncle Jeff's boyfriend's name?"

Lucy looked at Emma a little confused but simultaneously skeptical, trying to ascertain this newly acquainted adult's abilities. "Okay!" she finally said. "What is it?"

"Hold on," Emma said. "If this is a competition than the winner should get a prize, right?" Emma asked as she crossed her arms and wore a knowing grin.

"I guess so...," Lucy responded skeptically. "Like what?"

"Hmmm...let's see. How about if I can guess in one try I get to kiss your mommy goodnight. And if you win, Henry and I come back over Friday night to hang out again. How does that sound?" Literally this was a win-win situation for Emma.

"Yeah!" Lucy exclaimed. "Okay, Miss Emma, go! What's his name?"

Emma stood tapping her right index finger to her chin with her eyes towards the ceiling in mock thought, not giving Lucy her guess yet.

Lucy stood with her mouth agape starring up at Emma with wide eyes waiting for her final answer.

Finally Emma said, "I think...it's...August!"

"What!? How you know that!?" Lucy squealed. She ran over to Emma and Emma instinctively bent down to pick her up in her arms.

"Well, kid, I actually work with your, I guess Uncle, August. We find bad people together."

"You and Uncle August have the same job?! At the same place?!" Lucy could not believe what she was hearing.

Emma laughed as she bounced her lightly on her hip. She held her in one arm and bopped Lucy lightly on the nose. "Boop! Exactly."

"But you weren't at Sunday dinner... how did you know?" Lucy just couldn't put that together.

Regina returned carrying Henry on her back and having caught the end of their conversation, said, "Because I told her, mija." She then turned her head, looking over her shoulder at Henry. "Ready to get down, big man."

"Yes, please," Henry politely responded.

"Okay. Here we go." Regina kneeled down on one knee to set Henry gently on the floor.

"Thanks for the piggy back ride, Miss Gina," Henry said as he took off across the kitchen to hug his mother's lower half. He then stood looking up, smiling at his best friend.

Emma had luckily braced herself for her son's affections. She then proceeded to set Lucy back down on the ground. "So, are we gonna eat these famous turnovers while they're still hot?" she said, addressing a smiling Regina.

"Yes, dear. Let me just get some plates. Can you help them back into their chairs?"

"Sure, Gina."

* * *

After having one of the best pastries she had ever tried probably in her entire life, Emma suggested that they all watch her newest favorite Disney flick, _Moana_. Everyone agreed and they all snuggled together on the couch to take in the movie. Of course, the two little ones couldn't make it through it. Especially being so full from the wonderful meal. They had fallen asleep sitting side by side each leaning against their respective mothers. This time though, as Regina stood up to go put a sleeping Lucy to bed, she actually woke up and starting protesting leaving her friend behind. Henry who was out like a light, didn't respond and this somehow made Lucy cry harder. Regina just kept walking up the stairs towards her daughter's bedroom, soothing her the entire time that they would see each other again soon. But Lucy kept saying something about losing a bet to Emma so she wouldn't get to see her friend that soon.

Regina finally got Lucy to calm down and go back to sleep after helping her change into her _Frozen_ pajamas and brush her teeth since she was awake. After reading Lucy her favorite bedtime story, she had finally passed back out. Regina kissed her daughter on her forehead before sweeping her hair back behind her ear and exiting her room quietly.

When she returned back downstairs with Henry's jacket in hand, she found Emma struggling with a now awake Henry who was also sad and confused that his friend was no longer with them. Emma had him on her lap rocking and soothing him by rubbing his back. It seemed to be working as his breathing deepened and he calmed down but he refused to let himself go back to sleep. But by this time, Emma has successfully convinced him that it was time to go home.

Regina, upon hearing and witnessing this, grabbed Emma's red leather jacket from the closet and met them in the foyer. She handed Emma her jacket and helped Henry get into his and zipped it up for him. As she stood up from doing this, she lovingly ran her hand through the tired little boy's hair.

Emma took his hand and they stood facing Regina with their backs to the front door. "So I kinda won a bet with Luce earlier...," Emma began.

"Yeah she was saying something about that when we were walking up the stairs. What was it exactly?"

"Well, I told her that if I could guess the name of her Uncle's boyfriend that I would get to kiss you goodnight."

Regina looked down and blushed at Emma's confession. "Uh huh," she said as she looked back up into Emma's eyes. "And what would she have won, then?"

"Another playdate for this Friday night," Emma said with a huge smile on her face, her eyes shining with mirth.

"Emma Swan! So you essentially tricked my daughter into getting her permission to kiss me?"

Emma chuckled lightly. "Yup. Pretty much, Gina. So...can I cash in on that or...?"

Regina grinned before grabbing Emma by her jacket with both hands and pulling her in for a quick, yet very tender kiss on the lips. She released her almost as quickly as she had grabbed her.

Emma slowly opened her eyes, stunned at what had just transpired. Henry who was pretty much out of it suddenly fell heavily against the side of her leg. As she looked down at her son, she still had a look of pure shock on her face. She couldn't help the face-splitting smile that she wore as she looked back into Regina's bright eyes.

"So... _are_ you free this Friday?" Regina asked with a confident smile.

"I am now," Emma said almost immediately.


	11. Chapter 11

"Hold on! So you actually kissed her?!" Kathryn screamed into the phone.

"Yes, Kat. I did," Regina chuckled in response to her friend.

"Like on the lips? Not just on the cheek like you told me about before?"

"Yeah. I mean, she had won the bet so..." Regina smiled as she thought back to how soft Emma's lips were, even for just that brief kiss. She wondered if she should've given her a longer kiss, but Henry was right there.

"I just can't believe you went for it like that. You've never been the aggressive one in any of the relationships I've seen you in," Kathryn uttered still in shock.

"I know. She just brings it out in me, I guess. I kind of feel like it was long overdue but I guess it was only the third time we'd been alone together including our first meeting in the park." Regina exhaled dramatically. "Kat I feel like I'm losing my mind. How can I be falling so hard for someone I've spent less than 72 hours with? Am I crazy?" Regina asked in earnest.

"No, Gina. I don't think so. It sounds to me like you know how you feel. And you're obviously not denying it, right? You said you two were holding hands a lot lately too? If you feel that comfortable with someone you claim to barely know I don't think it's wrong," Kathryn responded. "But hey aren't you're forgetting about your kids?"

"What do you mean?" Regina asked.

"I'm saying you two have never really been alone alone, right? Henry and Lucy have always been there with you. What I'm trying to say is are you gonna keep up with this aggressive thing and actually ask her out on a date sometime soon? Or would that be too soon?"

Regina settled back into the couch crossing her legs under her as she pondered her best friend's last questions. "I...guess I could ask her out. It seems like the next logical step right? Or should I wait to see if she asks me out...? I don't know, Kat! See? Don't I sound crazy?!"

Kathryn chuckled at her friend's indecisiveness. "Gina, no, stop calling yourself that. You're fine. I almost hate to say this out loud but I'm just going to assume that you're thinking it. It pretty much sounds to me like...you're in love...?" Kathryn hesitated to finish her sentence.

Regina was silent a full 30 seconds, her head resting on the back of the couch as she looked up at her ceiling. She exhaled loudly before she said, "You've read my mind."

Kathryn had to physically stop herself from squealing like a schoolgirl at her friend's confession. "So...what are you thinking now?"

"I'm thinking I'm going to ask Emma Swan out on a date this Friday when she comes over again," Regina replied with a giant smile on her face.

* * *

After Emma had gotten Henry to bed and had changed into her own pajamas, she called and asked if Ruby would come over so she could talk to her. She knew her friend would be up because she had been a night person ever since she had known her. Even when she had the early shift at Granny's the next morning. Emma was initially going to try to wind down with a little TV in bed but the fresh memory of Regina's lips on hers had her smiling to herself and her heart racing. She needed to talk to someone about what happened in order to calm herself down. Thank goodness Ruby lived just one floor below her in the same building.

Emma heard a knock on her door as she looked through the fridge debating on having another piece of the apple turnover that Regina has sent her home with. She was even more grateful for the leftovers that Regina had given her looking at her mostly empty refrigerator. She ultimately decided against the calories and went to answer the door. She opened it and walked towards the living room after a quick hey to Ruby. Ruby followed her best friend and took her customary seat on the love sofa.

Emma plopped down in her La-Z-Boy with an audible huff and sighed as she leaned her head on her hand and looked longingly out of the window behind her friend. Ruby chuckled at Emma's dramatics before asking, "So, what's up, Em? I was in the middle of my favorite episode of _Friends_."

Emma laughed and looked at her. "Oh please, you've seen them all like 50 times."

"Yeah but I hadn't seen this one in awhile actually," Ruby began and then cut herself off. "Anyway, how can I help? Did something happen with Regina or..."

"Oh my god, yes!" Emma said, sitting up straighter in her chair. "How'd you guess?"

"Well I assume Henry is okay and asleep since you're already in your pajamas and if something was wrong with him, you'd call your mom first. Just deductive reasoning. Anyway, what happened? Something good I hope," she said, sitting forward and rubbing her hands together in anticipation.

"Rubes, it was amazing," Emma sighed, looking past Ruby again, lost in the memory. "She kissed me."

"WHAT?! Are you serious?! Emma, that's awesome!"

Emma grinned as she looked back at her friend. "It was beyond awesome. Rubes, I swear, like time stopped. It was like something out of a movie or tv show. Even though I think it only lasted for like two seconds. I could have died right there. But like it happened so fast that I hardly had time to react."

"You mean, enjoy it?" Ruby chuckled.

"Oh no, I enjoyed the shit out of it. I just wish I could have like extended it. Henry was falling asleep on my leg and I was holding his hand because we were about to leave so I couldn't really do anything more about it," Emma lamented.

"Well there's your problem right there. Actually, no, sorry, that came out totally wrong. Your kids aren't problems. But aren't they always there when you two are alone?" Ruby said, using her fingers to put air quotes around her last word.

"Huh? What do mean?" Emma asked confusedly.

"Dude, seriously? I mean, it's awesome that you guys were brought together by your kids and all that but your alone time will always be limited if you're just hangin' out at playdates."

Emma scrunched her brow still gazing at Ruby in confusion.

"I'm saying you need to ask her out on a date! Jeez, didn't you go to college? You were and English major, read between the lines. Actually it's pretty obvious if she kissed you. She wants more. Regina doesn't strike me as a tease. Am I right?"

"That you are. She's actually pretty aggressive. I mean, if constant hand holding and grabbing me by my jacket to pull me in for a quick kiss can be seen as that."

"Uh, yeah. I'd say so. Awww... You guys are already holding hands, though? How cute is that?" Ruby said as she brought her prayer hands up to her mouth. "I could die just picturing that."

"Shut up, Rubes," Emma said with a huge grin. "So you don't think it'd be too soon to ask her out when I see her again on Friday then?"

"No, Em. I say you take the same advice that you gave me, and just go for it," Ruby said as she stood up.

"Wait, where are you going? Are we done?" Emma asked, looking up at her friend.

"Yes," Ruby replied. "I think you're good. And if I leave now I can still catch the end of my episode, so I'm out."

"I don't know why you're making such a big deal out of that. You can always just watch it on Netflix!" Emma called out to Ruby as she closed the door behind her on her way out.

* * *

Friday came around before both women knew it and Emma found herself standing on Regina's porch nervous again before she let Henry knock to announce their arrival. Regina stood behind Lucy as she opened their door to greet her friends. "Hi Henry, hi Miss Emma!"

"Hey Luce!" Emma smiled, looking down and then smiled even wider as she looked up at Regina. Regina's expression matched hers.

"Hi Luce!" Henry replied as he ran in the house past Regina. "Oh, hi Miss Gina!" he called as the toddlers made their way up the stairs together.

Emma laughed. "I guess that's really becoming their thing, huh?"

Regina chuckled, "Yes, I guess so."

Emma quickly shrugged out of her jacket and handed it to Regina as soon as she stepped into the house. Regina took it without question and put it away as Emma turned to close the front door. She met Regina in the living room. Both women stood facing each other awkwardly with small smiles. Emma had her hands in her back pockets and Regina stood with her arms crossed.

"So..." they began simultaneously. They both laughed as they finally made direct eye contact.

Regina uncrossed her arms as she asked, "Would you perhaps like a glass of wine, Emma?"

"I'm actually more of a beer girl. But a glass of wine sounds nice right now. Hey, why not, right? It's Friday night."

Regina chuckled. "Yes, it is. The start of the weekend and all that. Is red okay?"

"Sure. Wait...you're not trying to get me drunk and take advantage of me are you? Because I think we should at least go on one date before you attempt something like that." Emma had walked into this subject way earlier than she had initially intended to. But she decided to see where this would lead.

At the mention of a date, Regina blushed, looking down for a second before looking back up with confidence and responding, "And how soon would be too soon to go out on a date then?"

Emma audibly gulped at Regina's question before pushing the subject forward. "Well I don't know...what do you think?"

Regina smirked at Emma and said, "I think I can definitely get someone to watch Luce tomorrow night."

Emma's mouth dropped open and she couldn't find the words to respond. Regina stepped into Emma's personal space and wrapped her arms around Emma's waist. Emma still had her hands in her back pockets. She grinned dopily as she looked into Regina's eyes. "I'm pretty sure that I can get my mom or someone to take Henry on short notice."

"Good," Regina replied before she kissed Emma on the cheek, letting her go and turning to walk into the kitchen for the wine.

Emma stood watching Regina in shock. "Okay," she huffed. "So that just happened," she said to herself as she slowly walked towards the kitchen.

She was still in a daze as she entered the room to find Regina pulling the cork from a fresh bottle and pouring them each a generous glass. Regina handed Emma her glass and took her hand to lead her back into the living room.

"What are you making for dinner by the way? It smelled delicious!" Emma said as allowed herself to be lead presumably to the couch.

"Paella," Regina responded. "One of my mom's best recipes. I'm sure you'll love it."

"I pretty much love everything about you," Emma mumbled, taking a sip of her wine to hopefully cover up what she had just blurted. She couldn't see Regina's amused grin as they arrived back in the living room.

"So that has to cook for a couple more hours. But the good news is that I finished _Big Little Lies_ last night and I'm dying to see how they adapt it. Wanna start it?"

"Hell yeah!" Emma said as they carefully sat down together. "So do you think our children are okay playing so much together by themselves? I feel like a little bit of a bad mom not being more attentive or something."

"Oh, I trust my daughter," Regina replied, settling down into the crook of Emma's arm. Emma had rested her right arm on the back of the couch and Regina had taken the hint to sit intimately close with her. "Why? Do you not trust your son?"

"Don't worry," Emma chuckled. "Henry's pretty well housetrained," she said as she pointed the remote at the television.

* * *

"Wow," Emma said. "That was an awesome first episode, right?" she asked as she turned to look at Regina. She was a little taken aback as she met Regina's face which was currently less than an inch away from hers.

"Hey," Regina said with a shy smile.

"Hey there, beautiful," Emma replied with her own shy smile.

They then both drifted towards each other and met with a soft kiss. They had both put their glasses of wine down on the coffee table so their hands were free. Emma put her fingers in Regina's hair as she deepened their kiss. Regina opened her lips to better taste Emma's. After this much longer kiss than either woman anticipated came to a natural conclusion, both woman sat staring into each other's eyes wearing small, matching smiles.

"Isn't this something that usually happens _after_ the first date?" Emma chuckled, finally breaking eye contact with the brunette.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Regina replied. "But I don't think we're really following the rules here," she chuckled.

"And what rules might those be, Gina?"

"The ones that say it's not possible to fall for a woman I barely know."

Emma sighed. "Yeah. I know exactly how you feel."

Both women sighed audibly. "So one more episode before dinner, then?" Regina asked, grabbing the remote to start the next one.

"Sure!" Emma responded. "I think we need the distraction so our kids don't walk in on Miss Gina and Miss Emma making out on the couch."

Regina chuckled. "Yes, that would be just a little bit awkward and hard to explain at this point."

"I don't know. Maybe they'd be okay with it. No, I think they'd understand. You've been with other women before, right?"

"Well, yes. But none that I've felt comfortable enough to actually introduce Luce to."

"Really? That's interesting. It's been the same for me with Henry."

"Well is he confused by the whole 'mommy like girls and boys' thing."

"Not really, actually. I mean, it's never something that's come up, you know. I always figured I'd just explain it to him at some point when he's older."

"Yes, sex is something that doesn't exactly enter into the everyday lives of toddlers. Well, most of them anyway. Although Luce almost got introduced to the concept last weekend."

"Wait...what do you mean? How'd that possibly happen?" Emma asked, turning more towards Regina to hear this tale.

"So Jeff was telling the story of how he and August met and he was explaining how they're so into each other after such a short amount of time but they haven't had sex yet. And when he said that he spelled it assuming that Luce would not catch on to that part of the conversation."

"Let me guess, she immediately asked what sex was?"

Regina laughed at the memory. "Yup! I'll give my brother credit though. He did explain it to her pretty well. I mean, she didn't really care anyway. She just went right back to her coloring."

Emma laughed too. "So before we start this next episode, can I ask you something?"

"Anything, Emma."

"What do you think this is that's happening between us? Because we both obviously feel it. But are we like moving to fast or something...?"

"No, I don't think we're doing anything that neither one of us wants to do together. I think...we're actually really lucky to have found each other and to answer your first question, I think we may be falling for each other...?" Regina finished her thought completely unsure of herself.

"Hmmm. Yeah sounds about right," Emma answered nonchalantly as she leaned forward to get both of their wine glasses for them. She then playfully snatched the remote from Regina and started the paused episode. After handing Regina her glass, she sat back into the couch putting her arm confidently around the brunette, who naturally snuggled into her side. "Also, the Miss Gina and Emma thing is kind of weird at this point. I think it's cool if we let them start calling us by just our first names, right?"

"I agree, dear. Let's do that."

* * *

Both women were apparently exhausted from their respective weeks because they ended up falling asleep during the second episode leaning against each other and snoring softly. Luckily they had placed their unfinished glasses of wine on the coffee table so they hadn't spilled any during their impromptu nap. They were woken up by their children a little while later. Lucy who apparently knew it was time to take the paella out of the crock pot grabbed her mother's hands and tried to pull her off of the couch.

Regina slowly opened her eyes and said, "What is it, mija?"

"Mommy, dinner is ready."

Regina looked at her watch and realized that her daughter was correct. Good thing she was such a good little cook. "You're right. Good job, honey." She sat up away from Emma and stretched before standing up. She looked down at her and smiled before gently shaking her on the shoulder. "Hey, Emma. It's time to wake up."

"Huh...what happened?" Emma responded groggily.

Regina chuckled. "Nothing. Well apparently we fell asleep on the show. But it's time for dinner now. C'mon, let's go." She grabbed both of Emma's hands and pulled her up off of the couch.

Emma was surprised by Regina's display of strength as she was yanked up and almost immediately fell down being off-balance from standing up so suddenly. She caught herself by hugging onto Regina. As she stood there, smiling dopily in Regina's arms she was even more surprised when Regina gave her a quick kiss before letting her go, taking her hand and following Lucy into the kitchen. Henry then came up behind her to take her free hand and walk with them.

Emma looked down at her son. "Hey buddy, where were you just now?"

"I was just in the bathroom, mommy," he responded happily.

Once everyone was in the kitchen, Regina let go of Emma's hand as she made her way over to crock pot to turn it off completely. Emma and Henry decided to help Luce, who had already started setting the table herself. Regina looked back at the three, marveling at the domesticity of it all. She smiled as she unplugged the crock pot deciding to just bring the whole thing over to the table for them to eat. After sitting it down on a pot holder on the island, she walked back towards the cabinets for cups and then to the refrigerator for drinks. Emma followed her to help. Upon returning to the table, Regina proceeded to plate some paella for everyone, giving Emma twice the amount on her own plate and the children half the amount.

* * *

Following another amazing meal, the four found themselves cuddled up on the couch together again watching _PJ Masks_. Emma secretly loved this show and was as into it as the children. She pretty much gave herself away though as she sang the theme song out loud with them. Regina couldn't help but to laugh out loud at this display.

This time when bedtime came around both children who were still awake but both really sleepy handled leaving each other much better. They gave each other a hug when they were prompted to say goodbye by their respective mothers and went their separate ways. Regina walked Lucy upstairs as Henry began to fall asleep against Emma who started another episode of _PJ Masks_ while she waited for Regina to come back down.

When she heard her footsteps on the stairs she picked up her now sleeping son after turning off the television to meet Regina in the foyer. Regina walked past Emma handing her Henry's discarded jacket from Luce's playroom as she made her way to the closet to retrieve Emma's. By the time Regina, returned Emma had successfully gotten Henry into his jacket as he stood sleepily next to her, ready to leave. Regina handed Emma her leather jacket with a smile and waited for her to put it on.

"So what time are you going to pick me up tomorrow night?"

Emma chuckled. "Wow. Someone's a little presumptuous."

"Well, I just figured it'd be easier since I don't know where you live or anything," Regina began to ramble.

"Gina. It's fine. I was just kidding. Yes, I'll pick you up here. Let's say...around 7?"

"That's sounds great. Oh wait! We didn't even establish where we're going or what we're even doing?"

"Well I figured we could do dinner and then go see a 9 o'clock movie...? Do you want to see _Wonder Woman_?" Emma asked.

"Yeah that sounds great! When did you find the time to plan this out so fast?" Regina asked, quirking a skeptical eyebrow at Emma.

Emma chuckled in response. "I just checked the times on my phone while you were putting Luce to bed. Which reminds me, I'm gonna need your wifi password the next time we're here. I had to use my data to do that."

"Okay, Emma," Regina chuckled. "I'll definitely remember to give it to you then." She walked behind her and Henry as they made their way to the door.

Just before they got there Emma put her hand up to stop Regina. "Wait here. I'm going to go put Henry in his car seat real quick and then I'll be back to give you a proper goodnight kiss," Emma said with a grin.

"Oh. Okay," Regina replied. She was taken aback by Emma's statement. She stood in the open front door as she watch Emma take her son to her car. She still couldn't believe how much had happened between them in a little over a week. This woman who she met thru her daughter in a park was now taking her out for dinner and a movie tomorrow night. She could hardly contain her excitement when she saw Emma walking back up the steps and to the front door. Regina stood looking at Emma with a wide grin as Emma put both of her hands on either side of the door frame and gazed at Regina with a large smile on her face. Then she slowly moved closer to Regina, wrapping her arms around her waist before bringing her in for long, slow kiss. Regina had responded by wrapping her arms around Emma's neck and standing on her toes to reach her. The kiss lasted for almost a full minute before both women simultaneously pulled back to smile at each other.

Emma was the first to let go and when she did Regina reluctantly released her hold. Emma took one of Regina's hands in hers. "So I'll pick you up here tomorrow at 7 then?"

"Yes," Regina breathed out. She cleared her throat. "I'll be here. Don't be late, okay?"

Emma walked away and released Regina's hand. "Oh nothing could make that happen, Gina," she replied with a wink and a smirk.


	12. Chapter 12

Please excuse the inaccuracy of the time that the movie they will see is with respect to the current season of this story. I was just so (and am, and probably will always be) so excited about it that I just had to include it. You'll know more and this will make more sense when you get to that part.

"Oh hey, Mom. Good, you're still up! Hey, so this is super short notice. But I've kinda got a date tomorrow night...and I was wondering if you could take Henry?"

"Of course, sweetie! That's exciting. Who's your date with?" Ingrid asked.

Emma smiled as she held her phone against her shoulder and opened the refrigerator door. She could picture her mom's smiling face. She reached into the fridge for the Tupperware container inside. Regina has sent them home with the leftovers again and she was going to eat a little more paella before going to bed.

"Well, it's with Regina."

"Is that Henry's friend's mother? The one who you've had a couple of playdates with?"

"Yup. That's her." Emma closed the refrigerator door as she made her way to the small island that separated her kitchen from her living room. She sat down and popped off the top before realizing she didn't have a fork.

"That's wonderful sweetheart. Wait...how long have you two known each other now?" Ingrid inquired.

"Mmmm...a little over a week at this point."

"Mmmhmm. So where are you going to take her?" Ingrid asked excitedly.

"I'm thinking Granny's because I love that place and I haven't been there in a little while. Plus Ruby isn't working so I know she won't be there to annoy or embarrass me. But, Mom, do you think that's too casual?" Emma asked worriedly.

"Not at all, honey. It sounds to me like it won't matter where you take her if you two have such a strong connection that you're going on an official date already. From what I've gathered about this Regina she doesn't seem like the judgmental type. In fact, I like her already, being a fellow librarian and all."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Oh my God, Mom... You're such a dork sometimes," Emma chuckled.

"I know, sweetheart. But it sounds like you might be going on a date with one. So I wouldn't criticize," Ingrid responded.

"Touché, Mom."

* * *

"Hi, Z."

"Hey, Gina. What's up? It's kinda late for you to be calling, isn't it?"

"Well I need a bit of a favor from you tomorrow night..." Regina said hesitantly.

"Okay... What do you need?"

"Can you watch Luce for me while I go on a date with Emma...?"

"Wait...hold on?! You two are going on a date already?!" Zelena practically screamed into the phone. "Like a date date? Gina! I'm so happy for you right now!"

"Okay, thanks Z. Yeah we're going on an official date tomorrow night," Regina chuckled her response. "So is that a yes then?"

"Of course! Anything for my little sis and her new girlfriend," Zelena replied.

"Okay. Grow up, Z. It's just a first date. We haven't established anything yet."

"Yeah but you've already kissed her."

"How did you know that?"

"I ran into Kat when Robyn and I were picking up some books today."

"Oh, let me guess," Regina said in a monotone. "She just couldn't wait to tell you all about my love life."

"So this is definitely more than a friend thing with Emma then? Gina, I'm so happy that you have a new love interest."

"Thanks, Z."

"Okay, now tell me everything. What time is your date, where are you going, who kissed who?"

"Wow. Okay. Well she's picking me up around 7, I'm actually not sure where we're going to dinner but we are going to the movies after at 9. And...I kissed her the first time." Regina finished.

"Omg, dinner and a movie. How cute! And did you say the first time, Gina? As in, you've kissed more than once now...?"

"Um...yeah. I mean, besides me kissing her goodnight on her cheek, we've kissed like three times now."

"WHAT...ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"

Regina literally had to hold her phone away from her ear. Her sister was being a little bit ridiculous but she loved it at the same time. She grinned as she brought the phone back when Zelena had finally calmed down. She chuckled heartily before saying, "Yeah. We almost made out on my couch tonight. We only stopped because we didn't want the kids to walk in on us."

Zelen laughed at this fact. "Well I guess it's a good thing you ladies are going on a date then. Maybe you can be like teenagers and make out in the theater instead of watching the movie." Zelena waggled her eyebrows even though her sister couldn't see her. "What are going to see anyway?"

" _Wonder Woman_ ," Regina supplied.

"What?!" Zelena exclaimed. "That's not fair. I haven't seen it yet! Can I go? Maybe we can make it a girl's night."

"Z, no. Only two girls are going out tomorrow night. The whole point of this date is so we can have some time together away from our children. Why would we add a third wheel into the equation? I'll see it with you again and we can bring Kat. Then we can have a girls' night okay?"

"Promise?" Zelena made a pouty face into the phone.

"Yes," Regina chuckled. "I promise."

* * *

Emma had told Regina to dress casually for their date. Regina had agreed to do so, but she was also a little nervous as to what type of establishment Emma was taking her to that didn't require her to dress up a bit. So she had decided to go super casual for her as she donned a pair of stylishly ripped light colored jeans, a purple plaid button up flannel shirt and a pair of low top black Converses. Her sneakers looked brand new because she had never worn them before. They were actually a gag Christmas gift from Zelena meant to prompt her to go a little more outside of her comfort zone clothing-wise. Once she had applied some light make-up, she went downstairs to await Emma's arrival.

Emma was so excited to get to her date with Regina that she had to consciously make herself drive the speed limit on the way to her house. She ended up leaving way earlier than she had wanted to because she ended up dropping Henry off with her mother earlier than she had intended to. Whether she had done this on purpose or not, she still wasn't sure. But she knew Regina would be ready and waiting for her, hopefully as excited for their date as she was.

Once she arrived at Regina's house, she jumped out of her car, slammed the door and literally skipped up to the front door, praying that Regina did not witness her in all of her nerdy glory. She tried unsuccessfully to reign in her immense joy by only knocking on the door with two quick raps. The door opened about five seconds after she had knocked, leading her to suspect that she wasn't the only one who was really excited for this date. She knew that it took more than five seconds to get from the living room, where Regina was presumably waiting for Emma to arrive, thru the foyer and to the front door. With this in mind, Emma couldn't control the knowing smirk that she wore on her face when Regina opened the door.

"Hey there, gorgeous." Emma walked past Regina after giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. She looked her up and down as she walked into the house. "Wow, Gina. Nice kicks. And I love your shirt too."

Regina looked down at herself self-consciously before looking up to smile at Emma's compliments. "Thank you, dear. I try. It's really hard for me to dress down sometimes."

"Yeah, I've kind of discovered that about you," Emma chuckled in response. "You ready to go. I know I'm a little bit early. But you look good. I mean, like your ready to go out."

"Yes," Regina answered. "I am more than ready to get this date started," she mumbled to herself. "Let me just go get my jacket and my purse," she said to Emma in a louder voice.

"Okay. Cool. I'll be right here." Emma had actually heard what Regina mumbled and was in total agreement with her.

Regina returned wearing a short, black leather jacket.

"Nice jacket, Gina! You are just hitting all of my lesbian g-spots with your ensemble right now!" Emma almost immediately regretted her sentence as soon as had left her mouth.

Regina visibly blushed and decided to flirt back. "Well maybe we can go for your real one sometime soon." She then walked towards the door before Emma could respond.

"Um... Uh...yeah, sure. Okay." Emma turned to say something more eloquent but then just gave up and walked after her date.

Regina opened the door and allowed Emma to walk thru before following her and closing and locking it behind herself. As she made her way down the driveway towards Emma's car parked at the end of it, she noticed the blonde standing at the passenger side door. Regina's confusion was erased when Emma opened the car door for her then closed it behind her after she got in. Emma then jogged around the back of her car to get in on the driver's side.

"So where are we off too dressed so casually?" Regina asked as soon as Emma started the car.

"Granny's Diner. Ever been?"

"No I haven't. But I know where that is. It's that the cute little place in the Target parking lot, right?"

"Yeah. It has like the best location. It gets so much traffic from that store. Ruby actually works there and her grandmother is the owner."

"Really? So the owner of Granny's is an actual grandmother. Hmm."

"Yeah. It's some of the best food in Storybrooke, I'm telling you. Gina, her lasagna would give yours a run for your money."

"Well let's not go that far. Let me be the judge of that. So their menu is just like your typical diner food then?"

"I mean, yes and no. Granny likes to keep it fresh."

"Gotcha. What's your favorite food there?"

"I like the grilled cheese and fries."

"Really? That's seem like a simple enough meal that even you can't mess up," Regina said with a smirk.

"Hey! Don't be mean. Or I won't take you to the movie after..." Emma threatened.

"Fine then we can just go back to my house. Or you can show me around your apartment. I'm sure we could figure out something to do to otherwise occupy our time," Regina said as she reached over to give Emma's thigh a quick squeeze.

Emma almost yelped at Regina's touch. But she somehow managed to keep her cool. Instead she visibly gulped, glad that they had arrived at the restaurant. "We're here!" Emma said unnecessarily loudly as she pulled into a parking spot. Regina grinned widely at Emma's reaction to her advances. She looked around the parking lot and immediately noticed how full it was. It looked like they were lucky to find a spot. She could smell the delicious aromas wafting from the restaurant as soon as she stepped out of the car. Emma walked around the front of the car and put her hand out for Regina to take, which she gladly did. She led Regina to the entrance and stopped to hold open the door for her.

Regina walked into Granny's, taking in the atmosphere. She was impressed with it, but then she saw the amount of people waiting for a table, and her heart dropped. If they had to wait too long then they might miss the movie and that just meant less time spent with Emma in general.

Emma walked up behind Regina placing a gentle hand on her lower back and led her to the bar. "Hey, Jenny, is our table ready?" Emma asked the waitress who nodded with a smile and handed Emma two menus. "Thanks."

Emma took Regina's hand again and led them to the back of the diner to a booth right before the door to the restrooms. Regina noticed a jukebox and made a note to maybe play something before they left for the movie. Emma stood next to the farthest bench seat and waited for Regina to sit down before taking her seat. "You're being such a gentlewoman, Emma. Holding doors for me and waiting for me to sit down first. A girl could get used to this type of treatment," Regina said as she put her purse on the bench in front of her before she slid into the booth.

Emma slid in on her side after Regina was settled. "I aim to please." She handed Regina a menu. A few seconds later an older woman approached their table. Emma immediately stood up to greet her by giving her a tight hug. She stood next to this woman as she introduced her. "Regina, meet Granny. She was generous enough to save this table for us on a Saturday night."

Regina smiled and offered her hand to the woman in greeting. "Hi. Thanks so much. Everything on the menu look so good. I have no idea how I'm going to choose something."

Granny shook Regina's hand. "Well I always recommend my lasagna. But don't worry, whatever you two girls want to try tonight is on the house. So go to town."

"Granny?! No! Are you sure?" Emma said out of pure shock.

"Yes," she replied definitively. "Now don't ask me again. And don't tell Ruby. I don't even spoil her like this. You know I love you like you're my own flesh and blood. So enjoy your date." She turned to Regina. "And it was lovely to meet you, Regina. You're actually the first person Emma's ever done this for so you must mean something special to her," she said as she walked away, leaving an embarrassed Emma behind.

"Really, Granny?" Emma called after her. "Tell her all of my secrets why don't you?!" Emma plopped back down trying to hide her now reddened cheeks. "She really does treat me like one of her own though. Maybe even better than Ruby sometimes. I love her. So...what are you thinking about getting, Gina?"

Regina smiled softly at Emma before looking back down at her menu. "I'm still not sure. I wasn't lying. Everything really does look so good. Are you going to go with your grilled cheese and fries?"

"Nah. I thought I'd switch it up and go with my other more less usual. A bacon cheeseburger, cheese fries and a strawberry malted milkshake," Emma said, smiling at Regina like the cat that ate the canary.

Regina shook her head as she laughed at her date. "Wow. I swear you eat like a child."

"Children couldn't eat that much in one sitting."

Regina continued to laugh. "I'm actually more surprised that you're not getting like a root beer float instead of a milkshake."

"I told you I don't really have to worry about calories with my high metabolism," Emma singsonged.

"Well I can help you work off those calories later if you want..." Regina suggested lightly as she continued to peruse the menu. She noticed this earned another change in color of Emma's cheeks.

A few moments later, their waitress came over to take their order. Regina ended up giving in to her curiosity and trying the lasagna. And she actually got a root beer float for herself.

Their food came out surprisingly fast considering how busy the restaurant was. Regina suspected that their order went to the front as soon as they put it in. One of the perks of dating the owner's surrogate granddaughter.

"Dios mio!" Regina exclaimed with a mouth full of food.

"What does that mean?" Emma laughed.

"It means oh my god. You were right. This does give my lasagna recipe a run for its money. It's almost just as good as mine. Almost," Regina said holding her thumb and index finger less than an inch apart.

"I told you!" Emma said with a mouthful of her burger.

The two women suddenly made eye contact and almost spit out their food laughing at each other.

Regina somehow still had room left over after her entrée, so they decided to get an ice cream sundae to share. And by share that meant that Emma ate most of it. Regina didn't mind though. She was actually saving room for popcorn at the movie.

Even though their meal was free, Emma left a generous tip for their waitress. As she was coming back from using the bathroom right before their departure, she saw Regina standing by the jukebox with a sly grin. "Did you get me a song, Gina?"

"Sure did." She then walked towards the door as _I Kissed A Girl_ by Katy Perry started to play.

Emma shook her head at Regina's choice and smiled as she followed the brunette to the front of the restaurant. As she passed the bar she asked Jenny to make sure that she thanked Granny again for her. Her hand once again found Regina's as they exited the restaurant.

* * *

Regina had to use the bathroom as soon as they got to the theater. So Emma decided to buy some popcorn for her and a cherry Icee for herself. They met back up in the lobby where Regina immediately grabbed Emma's drink from her and took a hardy sip. "Oh, I haven't had one of these in so long! Mmmmm. Sooo good!"

"Hey slow down there, woman. You're gonna give yourself an ice cream headache."

"No, I'm okay," Regina said as she handed the drink back to Emma and took her popcorn from her, popping a few kernels into her mouth. "Did you put butter on this yet?"

"No," Emma chuckled. "I didn't know how much you wanted. C'mon, it's over here."

* * *

"So you haven't been to the movies in how many years?" Emma asked as they walked down the aisle to their seats.

"Maybe three or four. Actually come to think of it. Probably not since before Luce was born. I mean, I do have all of those premium channels. So I don't really need to go the movies, right? Everything comes to TV eventually... I don't know. I guess I'm just more into television shows in general these days.

"I agree. But there's nothing like seeing an awesome action flick on the big screen in my opinion."

"Yeah. Well, I do see the appeal. You want to sit here? Or is it too close?" Regina asked, stopping and pointing at two seats towards the front of the theater in the middle.

"Nope. Here's fine with me." Emma stood aside and allowed Regina to take her seat first. Regina grinned and shook her head as she walked past Emma. "Such the gentlewoman," she mumbled to herself.

Emma, once again though, heard her comment and smiled to herself.

* * *

"Oh. My. God. That was so amazing," Emma said in a stunned voice.

"Beyond amazing!" Regina said. "I just...it was almost perfect."

"Perfect was like every woman on Themyscira, though! I don't think there was a non-hot one on that entire island."

"I know! I'm more in love with Robin Wright than I was before. If that's even possible. I think I need to go home and watch _House of Cards_ immediately."

"Wait," Emma said with a faux pout. "You want me to take you home already?" Emma asked, stopping and turning towards Regina.

"No, Emma. I was being facetious." Regina stepped towards Emma and took one of her hands into both of hers leaning into her. "I think I want to see your apartment," she said as she led Emma out of the theater towards her car still holding her hand. Emma followed her with a big dopey smile on her face.

* * *

"So, this is my humble abode," Emma said, opening the door and allowing Regina to walk in ahead of her. Regina looked around curiously with a small smile. Upon spotting the kitchen, she walked straight for the refrigerator and opened it up. "What do you have to drink? I'm thirsty."

Emma chuckled as she closed and locked the door behind her. "Just make yourself at home, huh? I should have some sort of hard beer in there and milk, of course. Not much else. There's always tap water if you want it. The glasses are in the corner top cabinet."

"Oh I don't think I'll need one. This Coney Island Hard Root Beer is calling my name. Want one?"

"Sure! Thanks."

Regina grabbed two bottles and then showed herself into the living room.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom real quick. That Icee has been pushing against my bladder since like the beginning of the movie."

"Okay," Regina chuckled. "Good to know. You should probably go and take care of that then."

As Emma made her way to her bathroom, Regina sat down on the love sofa in front of the television. She had already taken off her jacket and thrown in onto the recliner. She used the bottom of her shirt to twist off the tops of the bottles and sat back taking a hardy sip and a look at her surroundings. She noticed a few pictures here and there hanging on the walls and sitting on different surfaces around the room. She actually surprised herself with the fact that she could readily identify mostly everyone in all of the photos. There was one with August and who she presumed to be Killian. Emma was standing between them as they posed for the camera, their arms slung around each other's shoulders. There was one in what looked like an office of an older David and Mary Margaret with a beaming Henry standing between them. Another had a blonde middle-aged woman who Regina presumed was Emma's mother, Ingrid. She was holding a younger Henry in her arms and kissing his temple in what looked to be a park. One of Emma and Ruby at what Regina could now identify as Granny's. And of course a few baby pictures of an adorable Henry. One of the only ones Regina couldn't identify were of Emma in what looked like a police station doing the Charlie's Angels pose with a skinny brunette in a suit and an impeccably dressed blonde haired woman who wore a look of confusion as they posed. Regina decided that she would have to ask Emma about that one when she came back.

Just as she had this thought, Emma walked into the living room with a small smile and asked, "Wanna watch a little TV before you have to go and get Luce?" She sat down next to Regina, who handed her the other opened bottle. "Thanks." She took a quick sip before sitting back into the sofa.

"Oh...well. I actually asked Z if she could spend the night at her house."

Emma didn't respond with words. She just raised her eyebrows in surprise as she took a long sip from her bottle and looked at Regina.

"I just assumed that since the movie didn't start until 9ish that we wouldn't be back until kind of late since I looked up the running time and saw that it was over 2 hours and... Why are you looking at me like that, Emma?"

"Nothing! Like what?" Emma said before grabbing Regina's bottle from her hand and placing both bottles on the side table behind her. "It's just funny because I had Henry stay over at my mom's place too. So...it looks like we're both free for the night," she said as she scooted closer to Regina and put her hands on her waist.

"Oh," Regina breathed out as Emma moved one hand up to cup her cheek and closed the space between them.

Emma kissed Regina so softly and so slowly that Regina could not stop the satisfied hum she made as she got more into the kiss. She then found herself with fistfulls of Emma's shirt pulling her even closer to herself. Emma brought her other hand up to run her fingers through Regina's silky hair as she continued to kiss her. This initial long kiss turned into an intimate makeout session for the women. And that's what they did for over half an hour until they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

Emma reluctantly stopped kissing Regina as she turned her head in the direction of the door. One of Regina's legs was hooked over Emma's as the two women had entangled themselves leaving hardly any room between them while they lost themselves in each other. Emma groaned and rested her head on Regina's shoulder before calling out, "Who is it?"

"It's me, Em!" Ruby answered from the other side of the door. "I forgot my key. Let me in, dude."

"Kinda busy right now, Rubes! Go away and I'll call you later!" Emma called out.

"Come on! It's not like you've got a girl in there or something. Open up! "

"Maybe I do! You don't know!"

Regina playfully slapped Emma's arm.

"Ow, Gina. What was that for?" she said in a normal volume.

"Doesn't she know you had a date tonight? I can't believe that you wouldn't tell your best friend about it."

Emma winced as she looked away from Regina and towards the door. "Actually...in all the excitement of making babysitting plans and planning out our date I did kind of forget to tell her."

"Oh my god, Emma," Regina chuckled. "You're the worst friend right now. You should probably go answer the door, dear." Regina unhooked herself from Emma and pushed her to get her off of the sofa.

"Okay, okay. I'm going," Emma chuckled as she got up to get the door. She opened it slightly and didn't immediately let Ruby in. "Hey Rubes. What's up?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to talk to you a little. I feel like I haven't heard from you in a couple of days. Figured I'd stop by and say hey. Sorry I didn't realize how late it was though. Is that why you're not letting me in? Were you already in bed?"

"Not exactly..." Emma said as she fully opened the door. She knew that Ruby's eye would be drawn to her favorite spot which was currently occupied by Regina.

"Hey Regina," Ruby said casually before doing the math.

Emma smiled at her clueless friend.

"Are the kids here sleeping somewhere or something?" Ruby asked, still having no idea what was going on.

Emma decided to play along. "No, actually Henry is at my mom's place and Luce is sleeping over at Regina's sister's. Why do ask?"

"No reason, just...OH!" Ruby gasped, putting one hand up to cover her mouth, finally putting two and two together. "Dude you had an adults only date with Regina?!" she whisper-screamed. "When did this happen?! How come you didn't tell me about it?! Forget it. I don't care about that right now. Wait...is it still going on right now? Am I interrupting something...?" she asked in her normal voice.

"Yeah...kinda." Emma scratched the back of her head as she looked back at Regina. "You definitely interrupted something." She turned back to her friend smiling.

"Well," Ruby finally took in her friend's slightly disheveled appearance and smirked. "I'm gonna go and let you get back to whatever that was. I'll call you tomorrow, Em. Nice to see you, Regina!" she called past Emma as she turned and walked away from the door. When she was in the hallway and out Regina's line of sight she turned back around and gave Emma two enthusiastic thumbs up. And a fist pump before turning back to continue down the hallway.

Emma shook her head and closed the door. She walked back to the sofa. She stood looking down at Regina, who took both of her hands and pulled her back down onto the sofa with her. They turned towards the tv, Emma wrapping her right arm around Regina's waist as she cuddled into her. Emma reached for the remote on the side table and turned the tv on. "So. What are you in the mood for?"

Regina yawned as she looked up at Emma with sleepy eyes. "Is there an episode of _Friends_ still on Nick at Nite?"


	13. Chapter 13

Emma woke up squinting from a ray of sunlight shining directly in her eyes. Unaware of her surroundings for an instant, she wondered why she was on her love sofa and what this weight on her chest was. As she looked down to see the dark haired woman sleeping peacefully and curled up on her, it all suddenly came back to her. She then couldn't help the giant smile that spread across her face. She stretched her arms and tried not to move her legs as she did so but was unsuccessful.

"I'm trying to sleep here," she heard Regina say in a muffled tone. She lifted her head up with a smile and immediately yawned. "What time is it anyway?" she asked as she stretched out her limbs while still laying on top of Emma. She wrapped her arms back around her waist as she lay her head back on her chest. Emma checked her watch and then put her arms back around Regina. "It's almost 8," Emma answered with another yawn.

"Good. Even though I didn't really give Z any sort of definite time that I'd be picking up Luce at," Regina stated.

"Yeah I usually don't give my mom anything like that either. I figure she wants to spend as much time with her grandson as possible."

Regina chuckled. "One would assume so. Well, now that we're up, do you have the ability to make us breakfast...?"

"Gina. Breakfast is the one meal that I'm awesome at making."

"Good." She gave Emma a quick peck on the lips before hopping up and making her way to the bathroom. "When did we fall asleep?" she called over her shoulder as she walked away from Emma.

"I don't know. All I remember is laughing at _The Fresh Prince of Bel Air_ one moment and turning off the tv to go back to sleep the next," Emma answered her. She gave one more yawn and stretched herself out completely before getting up to begin preparing breakfast. She knew there were eggs in the fridge and bread for toast. By the time, she heard the toilet flushing and saw Regina approaching the kitchen she had already put some toast on plates. "How do you like your eggs, Gina?"

"Scrambled please," she replied, giving Emma a gorgeous smile. "So we obviously slept in our clothes but when did we take our shoes off?"

Emma shrugged her shoulders before looking up in thought. "I kinda remember you pushing up off of me sometime during the night and mumbling something about having to pee. I think I just pointed down the hall and you found it eventually. Then you dramatically kicked off your shoes before laying back down," Emma recounted. "Actually I assumed that's how you knew where the bathroom was this morning."

"Hmm. Interesting. I don't remember any of that at all."

Emma laughed as she stood at the stove mixing the eggs in a large bowl. "Yeah, you kind of seemed like you were sleepwalking. It was really cute though. Your hair was all crazy and you were really pouty like a child. Wow. I guess I remember it a lot more clearly than I thought," she said as she poured the eggs into a frying pan. "So where do Zelena and her family live? Here in Storybrooke?"

"Yup. They live right on the border between here and the next town actually. I always tease her about it because it was like she and Robin were trying to get away from our parents but she didn't even get that far."

Emma chuckled at this observation. "So do you have to go and pick Luce up before your family dinner thing?"

"Not really. She has clothes with her and some at Z's house. I could always just meet them there. Actually..." Regina began, unsure if she wanted to finish her thought out loud.

Emma looked up from the stove expectantly. "What?"

"Stop me if this is way too soon. But I assume you're not working this weekend because of our date and our unplanned sleepover. Would you and Henry maybe want to come to Sunday dinner with us...? That is if you're not busy with other plans or anything."

Emma didn't hesitate for one second before she answered. "We'd love to. Why not meet the rest of your family officially? Especially now that Jefferson is back. I mean, I assume he'll be there again."

"Yeah. That's a pretty accurate assumption at this point," Regina said, taking a bite of her toast. "Do you have any jelly for this?"

"Yes. Is grape okay? It's the only kind that Henry will eat. It's like the only food that he's super picky about. I'm more of a strawberry jam girl myself," she stated as she walked over to put the freshly scrambled eggs on each of their plates.

Regina returned to the island with the grape jelly jar in hand and sat down on a high stool to put some on the remainder of her toast. Emma quickly rinsed out her frying pan before putting it into the dishwasher and joining Regina to eat.

When they were both done, Regina offered to clear the table ignoring Emma's protests and rinsing off their dishes before depositing them into the dishwasher. She walked into the living room to join Emma on the sofa. As soon as she saw Regina, Emma lifted up her arm prompting Regina to sit flush against her so that she could put her arm around her shoulders. Regina turned into Emma's embrace wrapping both of her arms around Emma's waist. Emma took the opportunity to kiss Regina on the top of her head. Regina closed her eyes and squeezed Emma in response.

"Hey do you mind if I call my mom to say good morning to Henry?" Emma asked.

"No. As long as I can stay where I currently am, go ahead."

"Okay," Emma chuckled. She used her free hand to take her phone out of her back pocket, which was a bit of a struggle because Regina absolutely refused to loosen her hold on her. "Jeez, woman. Can I just grab my phone real quick? I'm not going anywhere right now."

"Fine," Regina huffed. She pouted as she sat up off of Emma giving her enough space to reach her phone. She went right back to her previous position as soon as Emma had it in hand.

Emma couldn't help but to laugh at Regina's adorable clinginess. She put the phone to her ear after hitting her mom's number and wrapping her arm back around Regina. "Morning, Mom. Yes, the date went very well. She's still here actually. We just had breakfast."

Regina lifted her head up and gave Emma a look upon hearing her mother's excited response on the other end of the line. Emma smiled down at Regina. "No, Mom. Nothing happened." She rolled her eyes while shaking her head. "Yes I was a perfect gentlewoman. We just got back from the movie late and fell asleep watching some Nick at Nite, that's all."

"Yeah the movie was a-mazing. I have to take you to go see it. Henry too actually. Mom, if I could die right now and go to heaven I think it would look like Themyscira. I kid you not." Regina chuckled against her side at that. "Anyway. Can I talk to Henry? Thanks!"

Emma looked down at Regina who had closed her eyes and was breathing deeply, already seemingly going back to sleep. She smiled contentedly wondering how she got so lucky. "Hey, kid! How was your night with Grandma? You did?! That's awesome! So hey, guess where we're going today?" Regina grinned as she listened to Emma's side of the conversation. "We're going to Luce's grandparents' for family dinner! Yeah, I knew you'd be excited about it. Okay, so get ready and we'll come and pick you up soon alright? No, we'll meet Luce at the house, bud. Okay. Love you too, kid. Bye." She looked down noticing that Regina wasn't breathing as deeply and evenly as she was a few minutes ago.

"Hey there, spider monkey. Can you let go of me for a bit so I can get ready to go?"

"I'm sorry, but did you just make a _Twilight_ reference?" Regina asked skeptically.

"I think you should be more embarrassed about the fact that you actually recognized it," Emma chuckled in response.

"Point well made. But, Emma it's barely 9 o'clock. Why do we have to go so early?" Regina said in a whiny voice.

"Because I have to shower and get ready and then we have to go back to your place so you can. Then we have to go to my mom's house to pick up Henry and I'm sure she'll want to meet you officially and everything. That's all going to take some time, right?"

"I guess so," Regina huffed, sitting up and letting go of Emma. "But if you just grabbed some clothes maybe we could shower together at my house...?" Regina asked in an overtly flirtatious tone.

"Well as tempting as that sounds, Gina, I don't want shower sex to be our first time together," she said as she stood up. "Trust me, you'll not want to have to worry about the water getting cold when we're finally together. I like to take my time when I'm making love to a woman," she confidently stated as she walked away from the sofa. She turned and gave Regina a wink before making her way back to her bedroom. She saw Regina's face flush and smirked in victory as she turned away from her.

* * *

A little while later she returned to the living room to find Regina lounging in her recliner watching something intently on tv. "What are you watching?" she chuckled.

"This episode of _Law & Order_ just got really good," Regina answered, her eyes never leaving the screen.

"Okay," Emma chuckled lightly. "The original one or _SVU_."

"The original one," Regina said in an annoyed tone. "If it was _SVU_ I would have said _SVU_ ," she said with a mild eye roll.

"Well, excuuuse me. There are like 50 versions of that show. Sorry for trying to distinguish which one you were watching. Jeez," Emma huffed in faux anger.

Regina laughed at her. "Okay. Sorry, Emma. Actually I just remembered how this one ends. Anyway, are you ready to go?"

"Yup! Let's do it."

Regina stood up from the recliner and turned the television off. She was already wearing her leather jacket and had her purse on her shoulder.

"How long have you been wearing your jacket for?" Emma asked as they made their way to the door.

"Only since I heard you get out of the shower. Why?"

"No reason," Emma chuckled in response. She grabbed her keys from the bowl by the front door on their way out shaking her head in amusement as she followed Regina out of the apartment.

* * *

Emma pulled into Regina's driveway a short while later and turned off the car. Both women sat there in silence for a few moments.

"Why are we still sitting here right now?" Emma asked, breaking the silence.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was expecting you to get out first and open my door for me or something?" Regina stated.

"Well actually I was waiting for you to get out first seeing as how you live here and have the keys to the door and everything," Emma responded.

"Oh I see how it is now," Regina said.

"What? The date's officially over now. I was just trying to make a good first impression," Emma said as she grinned at Regina. "Apparently it worked."

"Uh huh." Regina smirked and shook her head as she finally got out of the car. Emma followed close behind, taking Regina's free hand. Regina gladly held on to Emma's hand as they walked up the path to her house while using her other one to get her keys out of her purse. She unlocked the front door and stepped inside. Emma closed the door behind them, still holding Regina's hand.

"Okay, I'm going to go and get ready. You know where everything is. Help yourself to a beverage or refreshment if you want. I'll be back down in a little bit." She gave Emma a quick peck on the lips and let go of her hand to go upstairs.

Emma made her way into the living room and decided to watch the next episode of _Law & Order_ on TNT, hoping that it was an episode with Angie Harmon as the ADA.

* * *

True to her word, Regina was back downstairs in a short amount of time just as the final notes were playing indicating the end of the episode. Emma actually didn't hear her approach before Regina scared her by grabbing her shoulders from behind the couch. Emma jumped and then turned smiling up at Regina. "I'm ready if you are," she said, smiling down at the blonde.

"Yup. Let's hit it!" Emma said, jumping up and turning the television off. She placed the remote down on the coffee table and picked up her keys from it before joining Regina in the foyer. Looking down at Regina's footwear, she realized how she was able to scare her so easily. "Hey, look at you. You're still wearing your Converses."

"Yes. I actually find them to be as comfortable as my work flats. If I had known that, I would have been wearing sneakers more my whole life."

Emma chuckled. "Well know you know. And they look good on you. Well more like you make them look good, which isn't really a hard thing for you to do is it...?"

Regina laughed. "Is someone fishing for a second date so soon?"

"Oh, going to Sunday dinner to meet your family doesn't count?"

"Not really, no. We've only been on the one officially. You don't count our children's playdates as dates do you?"

"Yeah...good point."

They had exited the house and were now walking back down the path towards the cars.

"Should we take your car since your parents' house is our final destination?" Emma asked.

"No. I don't see why. You're already parked last and we have to go and get Henry before we go to my parents'. I can just direct you on how to get there. Plus his car seat is already all set up in your car."

"All great points, Gina. Wait!" Emma ran ahead to open the passenger door for her. "My lady," she said as the brunette got into the car with a chuckle.

* * *

It turned out that Emma's mother didn't live too far away from Regina's parents. Her house was actually on the way to their manor.

As Emma parked on the curb in front of a bungalow style home, Regina could see a beautiful middle-aged woman with long blonde hair sitting on the front porch with Henry. As soon as Henry recognized his mother's car he came sprinting down to meet her. After getting out of the car, Emma ran and met him halfway to the house, picking him up in her arms and spinning him around once before kissing his forehead.

"He insisted that we wait outside until you got here," Ingrid stated with a smile, standing from her chair and stepping off of her porch.

Regina walked up behind Emma as she held an excited Henry in her arms. "Gina, this is my mom, Ingrid. Mom, this is Regina."

"Hello, Ingrid. It's really nice to meet you," Regina said, stepping towards her.

Ingrid walked past Emma and Henry and went in for a hug, completely catching Regina off guard, but she was quickly able to return it. "It's so great to finally meet the woman who's stolen my daughter's heart," Ingrid said as she embraced Regina.

"Moooommm," Emma said, sounding like an embarrassed adolescent.

"What?" Ingrid said in Emma's direction as she finally released Regina. "It's true, isn't it? You two had a sleepover after your first date. That's kind of unheard of."

"Mommy had a sleepover with Gina?" Henry turned in Emma's arms to ask his grandmother.

"See? Thanks, Mom," Emma said with a dramatic roll of her eyes.

"I'm sorry, honey. I'm just so excited that you have someone like Regina in your life now." Ingrid squeezed Regina's arm as she said this.

"Well we're really lucky to have found each other, Ingrid," Regina stated with a small smile.

"Oookay," Emma said, putting Henry down. "We're gonna go now, okay, Mom." She walked over to her mother to give her a goodbye kiss on the cheek. "Thanks again for watching Henry at such short notice."

"What are mothers for, sweetie? You know I'm happy to look after my grandson any time you need me to."

"Yeah. I know. Give Grandma a hug goodbye, Henry."

"Bye, Grandma!" Henry said as he embraced Ingrid.

She stood back up from the hug and addressed Regina, "It was lovely meeting you, Regina."

"Yes. Same here." This time Regina was the one who went in for a hug, surprising Ingrid.

"Have fun at your family dinner," Ingrid said upon ending the hug. "Bye, Henry!" She waved at them all as she walked back to her front porch.

* * *

"Just pull in right here," Regina directed Emma.

"Okay..." Emma's mouth had dropped open a little as she took in the size of the house. "This is where you grew up?" she asked as she shut off the engine.

"Yup. The only home I've ever known!" Regina almost immediately winced. "I'm sorry, Emma. I didn't mean to..."

"No. It's okay, Gina. Really. I know what you meant." She smiled at the brunette before turning to the back seat and addressing Henry. "You ready to meet the rest of Gina and Luce's family, bud?!"

"Yeah!" Henry exclaimed as he extended both his arms and his legs into the air.

Both women laughed at his excitement. Regina got out of the car and proceeded to get Henry out of his car seat. She then took his hand and extended her other hand towards Emma after she got out and the three of them made their way to the front door of the house. As they walked in, Emma released Regina's hand and trailed slowly behind her looking around the entryway in awe.

As they made their way farther into the house, they could overhear an ongoing conversation.

"No August today, mijo?"

No," Jefferson answered with a pouty face. "He had to cover the weekend shift or whatever."

"Hey so I meant to ask you, what did August get last week when he won your bet?" Zelena asked with a wicked smirk.

Jefferson grinned widely at his oldest sister raising his eyebrow. "You really wanna know, Z?"

"Kinda. Yeah," Zelena responded barely able to contain her mirth.

"I do!" Regina exclaimed upon entering the room.

"Hey, Gina's here! And Z, to answer your question, I'll only say that we officially christened the bed in our new place," Jefferson said with a wink in his sister's direction.

Henry tried to no avail to ignore his children's conversation as he greeted the newly entering party. "Hey mija! Oh, and this must be little Henry." Regina's father made his way over to the toddler, looking down and addressing him directly. "We haven't officially met young man but my name is Henry too."

"Really?!" Henry said in awe.

"Sí. It is."

Before Henry could say anything more on the subject, Lucy came bounding in, presumably from the kitchen. "HENRY! YOU HERE!" She ran into her friend's arms for a welcome hug.

"Awwww...," all of the adults pretty much said in unison.

Cora came in behind her granddaughter wearing a huge grin. "Well look who's here. Nice to see you again, Henry. Hello, Emma."

"Hi," Emma said nervously. She waved at everyone while she kept her other hand safely in her back pocket. "Hope it's okay. Regina just invited us over this morning."

"Of course it is," Henry stated. "You're practically family. Which means you're unofficially always welcome at the Mills family Sunday dinners," Henry said with a wide smile.

"Thanks, Daddy. Hey Z, where's the rest of your clan?"

"Oh they're already outside playing with the football. You want to introduce them to Emma I'm presuming. Even though we haven't been officially introduced yet. I have to say I'm a little bit offended by that." Zelena dramatically put her hand over her heart and grimaced.

"I know right?" Jefferson added. "I mean, we only know of her, Gina, but we haven't actually met in person yet. I've only seen her in all of August's pictures."

"OK. Calm down, you two. Emma, this is my long lost, but recently found little brother, Jefferson. We all call him Jeff. And my older, no less shameless sister, Zelena, who we all call Z for short."

"Well thank you for that unnecessarily sarcastic, yet fine, introduction, Gina." Zelena walked over to Emma and gave her a small hug and a kiss on the cheek. Jefferson followed behind her and gave the blonde woman a welcoming handshake.

"Okay," Cora stated. "How about we go outside and join the others in tossing the ball around?"

"That sounds good to me," Emma said as everyone made their way toward the back of the house.

"So Emma, you don't happen to be a Ravens fan like my son's boyfriend do you?" Henry asked, bringing up the rear of their entourage.

Emma laughed. "No. I always forget August was born in Baltimore, though he was like the first foster sibling that I ever connected with. I don't why he even holds a torch for that team. He only lived down there until he was like five."

"Right?!" Jefferson chimed in. "Something about keeping loose ties to his past or something."

"HA. I think he only jumped on that bandwagon when they won the championship back in '01," Emma chuckled.

As they walked thru the kitchen to get outside, Regina noticed the pans of dinner already prepared and sitting on the counters. "Hey Mom, you finished preparing dinner already?"

"Yes, dear, I did. Your father can explain why?" she said as she walked out the backdoor.

"The Pats have the early game today, mija. So your mother just made a bunch of her lasagna for us and she's graciously going to allow everyone to eat in the family room in order to watch the game."

"How'd you get her to agree to that, Daddy?" Regina asked.

"Let's just say, I have my ways."

"My guess is that these ways are very similar to the bet that August won," Zelena stated with a giggle.

"Ew, Z! There are children present," Regina said.

"Once again, Gina, they have no idea what we adults are talking about. Calm down, sis," her brother responded.

Regina rolled her eyes as she took Emma's hand and they followed everyone out the back door.

* * *

After further introductions were made everyone but Cora and Regina had started to play a makeshift game of pick up football. The teams were Jefferson, Emma, both Henries and Lucy versus The Locksley family. Everyone agreed that the two tiniest players pretty much equaled one player. That and the fact that they were practically inseparable so they had to be on the same team.

"So...you invited Emma over this morning, huh?" Cora asked, giving her daughter a sidelong glance.

"Yes, Mom," Regina answered, not really paying any attention to her mother but instead watching Emma catch a pass and run with the ball. She had to physically stop herself from jumping up and down like a cheerleader on the sidelines of an actual game.

"Does that mean that you two spent the night together after your date or...?"

Regina turned to fully face her mother. "Now Mom, this is why I asked Z to watch Luce and not you and Daddy. Because of the very thing that is happening right now. Why do have to pry so much into my love life, Mother?"

"Oh, so it's 'Mother' when I'm just asking my favorite daughter about her first date with a woman who she's brought home for family dinner after only knowing her for a little over one week?" Cora asked incredulously. "Okay. Fine, Regina. Just totally shut me out."

Regina exhaled deeply. "You only call me 'Regina' when you're really mad at me. I'm sorry, Mom. But you know it's always been hard for me to talk to you about this type of stuff."

"I know, baby. I completely understand that. I just-" Cora took a deep breath. "I'm not trying to get some gossip about another person's child. I'm just trying to not be left out about what I think could be the love of your life," Cora stated earnestly.

"You really think she could be that person?" Regina asked in a small voice looking down at the ground.

Cora stepped closer to her daughter and put her finger under Regina's chin so that she would look her in the eye. "Yes, sweetheart. I really do."

Regina beamed at her mother's response. "Okay. I'll tell you about our date last night. I'm assuming you already know that it happened, right?"

"Yes, Gina," Cora chuckled. "Go on, dear."

"So she took me to Granny's for dinner and Mom, you have to try it there sometimes. Their lasagna is almost as good as your recipe."

Cora snorted in response to that statement. "I seriously doubt that but I'll take your word for it. So what else happened at dinner or after...?"

"Hold on, Mom. I'm getting there. So the entire night Emma was so chivalrous. She opened every door for me and waited for me to sit down before she did. It was really sweet."

"Awww...she's sounds like such a gentlewoman," Cora said, looking over to the woman in question as Regina continued to recount their date.

"Then she took me to see a movie and she bought me popcorn."

"Oh, what movie did you see?!"

" _Wonder Woman_ ," Regina said as an aside.

"I really want to see that!"

"Apparently everyone does. Well I guess you can come to our girls' night when we go to see it then. I promised Z that her, Kat and I would go sometime soon."

"Count me in!" Cora said excitedly. "Anyway, go on."

"So after the movie I told her to show me her apartment."

"Well that was mighty aggressive of you. I didn't know you had that in you, Gina."

"I don't know, Mom. Emma just brings that out in me, I guess. So we go to her apartment and-" Regina interrupted herself. "I can't believe I'm telling my mother this," she said under her breath. "Long story short, we ended up making out on her couch for a little while until we were interrupted by her best friend. Then we just fell asleep together watching tv, woke up this morning and had breakfast. And that's when I asked her if she wanted to come over here today. I know that sounds kind of impulsive but I guess I just didn't want to leave her."

Cora stood there speechless for probably the first time in her entire adult life. "You-"

"I what, Mom...?"

"You love her don't you?" Cora whispered.

Regina heard her though. "I...think it's too early to say that out loud. But it certainly feels that way."

Cora looked just past Regina and smiled. Regina turned to see what she was looking at and found Emma standing there smiling rocking back and forth on her heels with her hands in her back pockets. Regina wondered how long she had been standing there and how much of her conversation with her mother Emma had heard.

"Emma," Regina breathed out with a smile. "So who won the game?" she asked, taking a step closer to her.

"No one. We weren't really keeping score," she replied with a shy smile.

"I saw you make that one catch and run with the ball," Regina said, grabbing Emma's jacket with both hands and pulling her towards her.

"Yeah well, you know, I try," Emma said, taking her hands out of her back pockets and putting them on Regina's hips. As they stood there grinning and staring into other's eyes, all of the adults stopped what they were doing to look at their minor display of affection. Regina leaned in to place a soft kiss on Emma's lips. Emma closed her eyes and leaned into it.

Jefferson was the first one to react out loud. "Woohoo! Get a room!"

Regina remembered where she was and reluctantly let go of Emma. Emma slowly reopened her eyes and dropped her hands from Regina's waist. Regina took Emma's hand and led the woman back into the house. Emma gave Cora a shy smile as she walked past her.

"Where are they going?" Henry asked, coming up to give his wife a kiss on the forehead. Cora leaned into her husband wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Maybe they're taking Jeff's advice," she answered with a smirk.

* * *

"Gina, where are we going?" Emma chuckled as she was practically dragged along behind Regina.

"I want to show you my room."

"Oh...okay," Emma said. "Sure. But your family-"

"They're fine. Dinner's not even in the oven yet. We've got some time," Regina said, looking back at Emma with a grin as she led her up the stairs.

"So...this is my room," Regina said, opening her door and showing Emma in. Emma walked thru the doorway releasing Regina's hand and looked around the bedroom in awe.

"Wow... So these are the things that a teenaged Regina Mills liked huh?"

Regina chuckled. "Yeah I guess so. What do you think?"

"I think why do you have a poster of the Pussycat Dolls? You were still trying to hide the fact that you were gay right?" Emma asked with a giggle.

"Shut up!" Regina said, walking behind Emma and hitting her on her shoulder blade.

Emma fully laughed and turned around to grab Regina around her waist. "What?! It seems kinda gay to me."

"Not really. They're songs had messages of female empowerment in them." Emma gave Regina a dubious look. "Sometimes..."

"Okay, Gina." She took her hand, releasing her waist and walked towards the neatly made bed. "Nice full size bed."

"Uh huh," Regina replied. "And...?"

"Wanna mess it up some?" Emma asked, waggling her eyebrows at Regina.

"I think I do," Regina answered in a sultry tone that actually caught Emma a little off guard.

Before she knew what was happening, Emma was pushed backwards onto the bed. Regina sauntered up to her and slipped her sneakers off right before straddling Emma whose legs hung off of the bed and was leaning back on her elbows. Regina leaned down, put her arms around Emma's neck and brought her up to meet her for a sensuously slow kiss that had Emma moaning into it.

Emma somehow found the will to pull back from the kiss and asked, "Wait, do we have to put a lock on the door or something?"

"Maybe," she said with a grin as she bit her bottom lip. "Do you want me to get up?" Regina made the motion to get off of Emma only to be stopped by Emma's insistent hands on lower back.

"NO! I mean, if you think there's only a slim chance of us getting caught, I'm willing to risk it if you are," Emma said with a confident grin.

"And I thought I was being the adventurous one right now," Regina said.

"What? We're not like undressing each other or anything right?" the blonde asked with uncertainty.

"No, dear. Just like you didn't want our first time to be shower sex, I really don't want it to be in my childhood bedroom. And like you said, I want us to take our time." Regina followed this comment up by leaning back in to kiss Emma slowly.

* * *

Twenty minutes later the two women descended the stairs wearing matching grins unable to stop stealing glances at each other. Upon entering the kitchen to see if dinner was ready, they were met with knowing grins from all of the adults.

"So what were you two doing upstairs for twenty minutes?" Cora immediately asked.

"Mom, were you actually timing us...?" Regina responded.

"No. I actually came in to put the lasagnas in right after you two not so discreetly disappeared. I was just about to come and look for you to let you know that dinner was ready but I figured you weren't done 'showing Emma your room,'" Cora said making an air quotes motion.

Jefferson, Zelena and Robin all snickered at this statement.

"Really guys?" Emma piped up defending Regina's honor.

"What, Em? You're the ones who have been gone for apparently twenty minutes alone together," Jefferson stated.

"Also it looks like you forgot to close your zipper there, Em," Zelena chuckled.

"Wha-?" Emma looked down only to realize that her zipper was, in fact, already closed.

This caused all of the adults to laugh heartily.

"What's so funny, mommy?" Lucy asked, making the pick me up motion to her mother.

Regina bent down to oblige her daughter and said, "Oh, nothing, mija. Just your Auntie Z making fun of mommy's friend."

"I think you girls are way past the friends label there, mija," Henry said still laughing a little.

Emma immediately turned red as she decided to go and look for her son. Assuming that he was still outside, since surprisingly he wasn't by Lucy's side, she made a quick exit out the backdoor.

"Look what you did, Daddy. We haven't had that discussion yet."

"Is it really necessary at this point, though?" Jefferson asked. "I mean, you seem really into each other."

"Yeah, Gina, he's right. I don't think I've ever seen you kiss another person in public or in front of us except for Daniel. And that was at your wedding," Zelena pointed out.

"I guess...," Regina said.

"Mommy, why you kiss Emma?" Lucy asked, just as all of the other children and Emma had come in the backdoor.

Emma stopped in her tracks trying not to make eye contact with anyone else. That's when Henry looked up at her and asked, "Yeah mommy. Why you kiss Gina?"

The adults held their laughter in for all of two seconds before another round of uproarious amusement filled the kitchen.

Cora decided to save her daughter from further embarrassment by announcing that dinner was officially ready. She began to bring the lasagnas over to the island. Regina had put Lucy down to help her mother. "Thanks, Mom," she whispered as the women walked with the food in hand.

"No problem, dear," she whispered back. "The fact that you two haven't defined your relationship should not be a family discussion."

* * *

After everyone had served themselves dinner, they had moved into the family room to sit and wait for kickoff. All of the children had to sit on the floor, as per Cora's rules. Regina and Emma each sat with their respective children to help them eat and try not to make too much of a mess in the process. At halftime, all of the dishes were cleaned off of the various surfaces and taken back into the kitchen. Everyone then returned to await the start of the second half.

"So, Gina, how was _Wonder Woman_? When are we going?" Zelena asked excitedly.

Regina chuckled at her sister's back-to-back questions. "It was really good, Z. So amazing. You're going to love it. And we just have to see when both Mom and Kat are free for us to go see it."

"When exactly did Mom get invited to our girls' night?" Zelena asked with a roll of her eyes.

"Well my dear daughter, I invited myself when I heard that was the movie that Emma and Regina had gone to see."

"How was your date?" all of the men managed to ask almost simultaneously.

Regina looked down at her daughter who was sitting in her lap, playing with a toy. "You wanna take that one, Emma?" she said not looking up as she addressed her.

Emma cleared her throat. "Uh...sure." All eyes now on her she continued, "So I took Regina to a favorite restaurant of mine, Granny's. I don't know if you've heard of it or not. Anyway, she met the owner who's like my surrogate grandmother. After we enjoyed our dinner, we shared an ice cream sundae. Regina played me a song from the jukebox and then we went to the movies. After which I showed her around my apartment."

"Was it the same way that Regina showed you her room earlier...?" Zelena asked.

"Pretty much," Regina said to who she thought was only herself but apparently she has just stated it in her a normal voice. She refused to look up as she immediately felt everyone's eyes on her.

Emma unnecessarily cleared her throat again. "I mean, she saw my bathroom. And my living room. And my kitchen. There's not much else to see except the bedroom..." Emma trailed off trying unsuccessfully to not finish her thought.

"Well I'm sure she'll see that soon enough, mate," Robin said, giving Emma a wink.

"So what was the song you played for her, mija?" Henry asked.

"Oh, it was a Katy Perry song, Daddy. Probably nothing you'd know."

"Let me guess," Jefferson said with an arrogant smirk. "Was it _I Kissed a Girl_?"

Both women responded by blushing and not answering as they instead both looked down at their laps.

* * *

As the game wound down and it looked like another victory for the home team, Zelena, Robin, Roland and Robyn took their leave. The Locksley parents had discovered that Roland still had most of his homework to complete and would need a good amount of time to do it. Jefferson soon rushed out after that claiming to want to get home to watch Sunday Night Football with August since the Ravens were playing. This left the Mills matriarch and patriarch alone with the two newly dating women and their children. They continued sitting in the family room generally enjoying each other's company until Cora decided to get started on the dishes and Regina and Lucy decided to help her, leaving Henry alone with Emma and the younger Henry.

"So you're a bounty hunter like my other new mijo, August, huh?" Henry asked.

"Yes, sir. That's right," Emma answered, looking up and smiling at Henry.

"And how does Regina feel about that? Also it's Henry, mija. Not 'sir.' Or dad if you prefer..."

Emma smiled softly at the suggestion. "Well I don't know actually. I mean, I kinda get the idea that she thinks it's more dangerous than it actually is. But I've told her that I'm really good at my job. So I think she understands. At least I hope so... Why? Is that like a deal breaker or something for your daughter?"

"No, mija. I don't think so. It's just something that is a foreign concept to her now but she might get less worried about you and it the better you two get to know each other. She's always been the cautious one of the family and a little bit of a worrier."

"Oh. I see," Emma replied.

"No I haven't!"

Both adults looked to the entrance of the room to find Regina standing there with her arms crossed in reaction to her father's last comment.

"Lo siento, mija. I was just making conversation with your lady friend here."

"Actually I think we've officially graduated to gal pals recently. Right, Gina?" Emma said, giving Regina a wink.

Regina laughed, uncrossed her arms and relaxed as she walked over to join Emma on the sofa. Emma lifted her arm and Regina sidled up next to her putting her arm across Emma's stomach as she leaned into her. Emma let her arm fall over Regina's shoulders. "So, Henry. Do you think the Pats have a chance at the Super Bowl again this year?"

* * *

The two mothers and their children finally left before the toddlers could slip into too deep a sleep. Cora gave Emma a hug and a kiss upon their departure and Henry kissed Emma on the cheek as well. They had borrowed the car seat that Henry had, Regina vowing to return it as soon as she could. On the way back to Regina's house the two women held hands as their children slept soundly in their seats. Making it a bit of a struggle to get them out when they arrived at Regina's.

Regina had invited Emma in for a nightcap and Emma found that she couldn't say no to that. Especially as she was offered the best glass of apple cider that she would ever taste. They decided to put both of the sleeping toddlers down to rest together in Lucy's bed. Regina didn't even change Lucy out of her clothes. They just took both of their shoes off before covering them up.

"Wow! This is really fucking good, Gina."

"Well I'm glad you like it. And I'm glad that you didn't use that sort of language while we were at my parents'," Regina chuckled.

"What? You've heard me curse before," Emma said as she leaned forward to place her drink on the coffee table.

"Of course I have but I don't think you said fuck. And you were so apologetic about it before."

"Well I guess I just feel way more comfortable with you now," Emma said, taking Regina's drink from her hand. She turned to put her tumbler on the table and was met by Regina's lips when she turned back. Regina put her hands on either side of Emma's face as she deepened the kiss. The blonde's hands went to Regina's hips where she felt a small patch of exposed skin. She pushed the shirt farther aside as her hands moved under it to feel Regina's lower back. Regina moaned into their kiss upon feeling Emma's hands on her bare skin.

Without breaking the kiss, Regina pushed Emma back by her shoulders to sit farther back against the couch while moving to straddle her lap. In this new position, Emma was finally able to reach Regina's ass and she wasted no time in moving her hands there. After a quick squeeze, she wrapped her arms tightly around Regina's body almost hugging her. Regina's ran her hands through Emma's hair, finally breaking their kiss only to moan Emma's name.

Through hooded lids, Emma looked up at the brunette on top of her, "Yes?"

"I know I moved us into this position but I think we need to stop."

"What, why?" Emma said breathlessly.

"Because it's getting late and our children are asleep upstairs. We both know we can't go any further right now anyway, right...?"

"Yeah," Emma exhaled in a defeated tone. "I guess I agree. But..."

"What?" Regina said, looking down and smiling at Emma.

"Can we do this for just a little bit longer?"

"Of course!" she answered with an even bigger smile.

* * *

It was really hard for the two women to tear themselves away from each other but somehow they managed it. To cool off and calm themselves down, they finished their drinks as they watched a little television. Regina sat sideways with her back against the arm of the couch and her legs resting on Emma's lap. When Emma yawned for the third time in just as many minutes, Regina leaned forward and caressed Emma's cheek.

"I think it's time for you to go, dear."

"No, Gina. One more episode," Emma protested in a tired voice.

"Okay," Regina chuckled lightly. "I'll let you stay if you can tell me the name of the show we're watching right now."

"Um... _Law & Order_...?"

Regina fully laughed at her. "No, Emma. It's _2 Broke Girls_."

"Oh, I love that show! They're so funny with the friendship and the cupcakes."

"Yes, they are," Regina chuckled. "Are you going to be alright to drive home?"

"No, yeah, I'll be good. Can you make me some coffee though while I go and grab Henry?"

"Yes. That's a good idea. Let me go and do that."

"You're so good to me, Gina," Emma said. She leaned over and gave Regina a quick peck on the lips before she lifted her legs and stood up. As she ascended the stairs, Regina swung her legs around to get up and go to the kitchen. Walking there she thought about the progression of their relationship. Obviously, it was fast and pretty mind-boggling to think that this amazing woman was not in her life just two short weeks ago. But it was also so natural to the point where she could not, and absolutely did not, want to think about not having Emma and Henry in her and Luce's life. She grabbed the coffee pot and went over to the sink to fill it. Just as she finished adding the coffee into the machine to begin it, she felt arms encircle her from behind. She closed her eyes, smiled and leaned back into Emma's embrace. "It'll be ready in a minute, Em."

Emma gently rocked Regina and kissed her head. "Hmm. That's the first time you've called me that."

Regina opened her eyes and turned her head a little, "Really?"

"Yup. I think so," Emma replied.

"That's interesting because my family took to calling you that almost instantly."

Emma chuckled. "Oh you noticed that too, huh?"

Regina turned around in Emma's arms and put her arms around her neck. "Yes, I did. And my dad called you mija."

"Yeah...so I've been meaning to ask you about that but I thought it would be kind of awkward to do it at dinner. What exactly does that mean? I don't speak Spanish that well."

Regina chuckled and answered, "It's just a term of endearment that literally means daughter. He calls all of his children that. Mijo for Jeff which means son and mija for Z and me." She smiled and leaned in to give Emma a sweet, chaste kiss on her cheek before smelling that the coffee was done. She turned her back to her but placed her arms on the blonde's as she walked them over to the fresh pot of coffee. Reaching up into the cabinet above the coffee pot, she grabbed a Tervis thermos cup to give to Emma.

Emma had finally let go of her and was standing side by side with Regina at the counter when she noticed what decorated the travel cup the brunette was about to give her. She laughed before saying, "I didn't know you were a fangirl."

Regina looked down proudly and smiled at the cup as she handed it to Emma. "Who doesn't like _Star Wars_? It's an integral part of our culture at this point, right?"

"Well, yeah. But not everyone loves it enough to get a specialized travel cup sporting imagery from it," Emma said with a light chuckle.

"Don't criticize me, Ms. Swan," Regina said with a smile. "Go and add your milk and whatever else to your coffee so you can get yourself and Henry home safely. You know where everything is." She smacked Emma playfully on the butt as she turned to walk towards the refrigerator.

When the women returned to the living room, Henry was sitting up straight on the edge of the couch struggling to not fall completely asleep. "Hey kid, you ready to go?"

Upon hearing his mother's voice, Henry opened his eyes droopily, nodded, and stood up off of the couch.

Both women chuckled at his cute zombie-like state. Emma walked over to him and took his hand before the three of them walked to the front door. "Goodnight, Em."

As they turned to face each other and leaned in to kiss each other goodnight, Emma suddenly pulled back. "Hey you know what else was awkward at dinner tonight?"

Regina stood straight up as she chuckled. "Well there's actually kind of a lot things to choose from there...but no. What?"

"Are we girlfriends or...?"

"Yes," Regina chuckled lightly. "If that label makes you feel more comfortable with what's clearly happening here then sure. Let's go with that, dear."

"You know you call me dear a lot, Gina."

"Mmhmm. It's something that my mom has always done. I guess it's just rubbed off on me over the years."

"Well, I like it," Emma said, leaning back in to give Regina a soft goodbye kiss. Regina looked down and smiled at Henry. "Goodnight, Henry. See you soon."

"Okay, Gina," Henry somehow managed to reply through a giant yawn.

As the two Swans walked down the path towards Emma's car, Emma turned around to give one last wave goodbye before Regina closed the door completely. She locked up for the night and had to stop to happily acknowledge the fact that she now officially had a girlfriend.


	14. Chapter 14

Emma was not at all surprised to find Ruby sitting in her usual spot upon returning to her apartment. "Hey, Rubes," Emma said with a smile and a wave. She turned to lock the door behind her. "Let me put Henry to bed and then we can talk okay?"

"Sure thing, Em," Ruby replied barely taking her eyes off of the tv screen.

When Emma came back into the living room, she sat down next to Ruby on the love sofa instead of her usual spot in her recliner. "So. How'd your date with Belle go on Friday night?"

"Awesome. But we'll get to that later. Em, did you pretty much spend the entire weekend with Regina?" Ruby asked with a smirk.

Emma thought over the last three days and realized that Ruby was, in fact, right. She had pretty much spent most of her weekend with her newly labeled girlfriend. She grinned widely. "Huh? Yeah, I guess that is what ended up happening."

"Dude...what?!" Ruby responded, turning more towards her friend on the couch. "So are you two like an official thing now? Have you even had time to talk about it yet?" she asked.

"Well actually we just decided to put a label on our relationship tonight," Emma responded.

"And...?" Ruby asked excitedly.

"We're girlfriends now," Emma said with a confident smile.

"Holy shit, that was fast! Em, I've been in relationships for weeks where we've never even had the defining the relationship conversation. Sometimes we broke up before we even could. That's awesome! I'm so happy for you right now, dude. And...a little jealous. Not gonna lie."

"Well, tell me. How are you feeling about Belle?"

Ruby turned back towards the television as she answered Emma. "I feel really good about her. She's so cute, Em. I just can't sometimes."

"So where'd you end up taking her for your date?"

Ruby tore her eyes away from the screen and said, "We ended up going to Guiseppe's. This cute little Italian place that August told me about in the city. We had a nice corner, semi-isolated table. Then we just walked around the city and talked for a little bit after dinner before I drove her home. It was a really good night. Even got myself a first kiss at the end of it. I mean, it was no sleepover situation like you and Regina after your first date but it was really nice," Ruby recounted, looking into the middle distance with a pleasant smile.

Emma chuckled and then exhaled audibly thinking about her now girlfriend. "Yeah... So I took her to Granny's on Saturday night. Turns out she'd never been so it was a fun treat for her. She almost thought that Granny's lasagna was as good as hers. Almost," Emma said, holding up her thumb and index finger less than an inch apart.

"Cool! I didn't know that you had planned on taking her there. Let me guess, did she meet my Granny?"

"Yup," Emma chuckled.

"And did she pick up the tab for your meals?"

"No... Why would you think that?"

"Em, it's cool. I know she does that for a lot of my friends. So why wouldn't she do it for her favorite other granddaughter," Ruby said with a grin. "I don't know why she tries to hide that fact from me or thinks that I don't know about it. It's kinda cute actually."

Emma chuckled. "I guess she's just trying not to make you feel awkward about it or something. I don't know."

"Yeah but it's not even a thing. Or it doesn't have to be because she wouldn't be giving the food away if they weren't my friends. Anyway. So before you guys ended up back here what'd you do?"

"Well we split an ice cream sundae for dessert and she played me a song before we left," Emma said with a grin.

"No she didn't!? Which one? There are so many random songs on that thing."

"She was a little obvious about it. She went with _I Kissed A Girl_."

"That Katy Perry song from back when I still liked her music? Hmmm. Nice choice, Regina," Ruby said with a smirk.

"Yup. And then I took her to see _Wonder Woman_ which was amazing."

"Right?! Belle and I went yesterday to see it."

"Wait. You had two dates in a row! And you're making fun of my weekend with Regina?"

"Yeah. So what? But, Em. Theymiscira though? Oh my god, like. I almost lost it. Like almost stood up in the theater and starting cheering lost it. Belle actually grabbed my hand out of pure excitement. Which was pretty cool because then we ended up holding hands for the rest of the movie. I didn't even have to try that cheesy stretch my arms and land one around her shoulders move."

Emma chuckled. "Rubes, maybe she just wanted an excuse to hold your hand."

"I think so but the awesomeness that was that film probably took her by surprise too."

"I know! We have to go see it again."

"Yeah, I was already planning on it," Ruby said, looking at Emma with a smirk. "So what'd you guys end up doing today then?"

"Henry and I went to her family's Sunday dinner thing."

"What?! You've already met the fam?! You two are moving at like lightspeed!"

"Dude, calm down," Emma chuckled. "I had already met Cora from when we went to the farmer's market on Luce and Henry's first playdate. She drove us and took Henry's car seat with her by accident when she dropped us back off at Regina's place. So later that night when we realized she still had it, Regina had her dad bring it back over. And I met him then. I had only not met her brother and sister and her sister's family by the time we went to family dinner with her."

"You never told me about any of this. I should be offended. I thought we were friends," Ruby said with a faux frown. "So anyway, how'd that all go?"

"Pretty awesome. I mean there were a few awkward moments. Which is too be expected when you're meeting a significant other's family for the first time. But yeah... Overall, it was a good time."

"Cool. Wait...have you ever met the parents of anyone you've been with before?" Ruby asked, giving Emma a sidelong glance.

"I mean...no. Not really. Well technically I already knew the parents of some of the girls I made out with in high school since we were foster sisters," Emma said with a shoulder shrug.

"Ew, Em! Really?!"

"What?! We weren't actually related. Sometimes it just kinda happened because of the close quarters and all that."

"Actually, I see what you mean. It'd kind of be like making out with a sorority sister or something. When I think about it like that it's not that bad."

"No, Rubes. It's not bad at all. We _literally_ were not related in any way. We just lived together in the same house."

"Okay, okay. You're right," Ruby responded, putting her hands up in defense. "So why were you always the one to get kicked out of the house then?"

"Someone had to go. They had to separate us somehow. I was usually the one they got rid of because I was the newest. Last in first out sort of deal. Anyway, enough about me and my sordid past. Did you and Belle do anything after the movies on Saturday?"

"A lady never tells," Ruby said with a wolfish grin as she went back to actively watching her television program.

* * *

Ruby left after whatever episode she was watching ended. Emma didn't really know what it was because she had started to text Regina as soon as Ruby refused to tell her more about her second date with Belle. After Ruby had let herself out, locking the door behind her, and Emma had set the deadbolt she walked back toward her room as she continued to text Regina.

 _*So I'm finally walking back to my room to get ready for bed*_

 _*Yeah I guess I should try to get to sleep soon too. Luce'll be waking me up as per the usual early in the morning"_

 _*Ha. She really does that like every morning?*_

 _*Pretty much*_

 _*I can't imagine. Henry is not at all a morning person. Getting him up is like waking the dead*_

 _*Lol. I can imagine. If he always sleeps as heavily as I've witnessed so far*_

 _*Yup. Like mother like son I guess. I hate mornings*_

 _*Well you won't really have a choice to sleep in when Luce wakes you up. You'll see when you stay over here one night*_

 _*Is that an invitation or...?*_

Regina grinned down at her phone.

 _*I thought that was understood. What do you think all my flirting has been about?*_

 _*Oh that's what you've been doing? You've been so subtle I couldn't tell ;)*_

 _*Well we do have to work out the logistics of whose house and who's gonna take the kids and all that...*_

 _*Please woman we both have plenty of people in our lives who would gladly watch our children for us in a heartbeat. Especially if they knew what we'd be getting up to*_

 _*LOL. Good point. And what's with this woman thing you've been calling me. Don't think I haven't noticed it lately*_

 _*What? It's just a term of endearment. Like you using dear. And you are my woman now right?*_

 _*Yes I am*_

Regina kissy face emoji made Emma's grin turn into a full-blown Joker smile. She flopped back on her bed and sighed dramatically like a schoolgirl in love. She had been sitting with her legs hanging over the side of her bed still fully dressed for most of their conversation.

 _*Alright. I'm gonna get undressed and into my jammies and let you go to sleep*_

 _*Okay :( Wait! When am I going to see you next?*_

 _*Oh I just assumed we were coming over for dinner again tom*_

 _*Now who's being presumptuous. But sure! Can't wait!*_

 _*I mean I'm pretty much out of Paella and your parents didn't send me home with any leftovers so... ;)*_

 _*Oh I see. You're just using me for my cooking skills*_

 _*That and many other things in the future hopefully*_

 _*Hopefully. Good night Ms. Swan*_

 _*Night. I love it when you call me that btw*_

When she hadn't received a response from Regina after a minute or two she figured that she had indeed gone to bed. Emma changed out of her clothes, brushed her teeth, checked in on Henry and made sure to plug in her phone to charge before she laid down for the night. She desperately hoped that she would dream of Regina but she was also pretty confident that she would since the gorgeous brunette was all she had on her mind lately.


	15. Chapter 15

"Thanks for bringing over dinner, Mom," Regina said as she greeted her mother at the front door with a kiss on her cheek. "I gave Emma all of the leftovers from last night."

Cora smirked at her daughter as she handed her the pan so she could step into the house and take off her jacket after closing the door behind her. "So...Emma was here again last night, then? I guess we're breaking your 4-day streak with your newly minted girlfriend," Cora said with a smile.

Regina rolled her eyes as she walked away from her mother in the direction of her kitchen still holding the food. Cora immediately followed her, quickly greeting her oldest grandchildren who were sitting and watching tv in the living room, as she passed them.

They walked into the kitchen to join Zelena and Kathryn who were sitting at the island with glasses of wine and talking quietly with each other.

"What are you two gossiping about?" Cora said as a greeting.

"Oh nothing, Mom. Just how it was kind of weird that Regina invited us over here for dinner before the movie but didn't actually cook us anything," Zelena responded with a smirk directed at her little sister.

"Well, from what I understand we might have had leftovers from her dinner last night if she hadn't sent them home with Emma and Henry..." Cora replied.

Kathryn stopped herself mid sip to react. "Wait, what? She was here again last night? Jeez, Gina didn't you two spend pretty much the entire weekend together?"

"Yes. And? I have the right to spend as much time with my girlfriend and her son as I want," Regina said with a confident grin as she made her way to the island to put the food down.

All of the other three women gave each other looks when Regina turned towards the cabinets to get them plates and silverware.

"So. Who's excited to see _Wonder Woman_?" Regina asked as she turned back around with her arms full of plates and cutlery. All three women shot a hand into the air.

* * *

Zelena drove everyone to the movies. She figured she'd have to go back to pick up her family from Regina's afterwards anyway. Robin had agreed to stay there with his children to watch Luce while the women enjoyed their girls' night out. When they left, he was with Lucy in her playroom having a tea party.

Kathryn, Zelena, and Regina stood in the lobby of the movie theater waiting for Cora to return from using the bathroom.

"So Gina, I have to ask while your mom isn't here, have you and Emma had sex yet?"Kathryn said bluntly.

Regina almost choked on the popcorn she was currently enjoying. "No, Kat!" she managed to get out in between coughs.

"What? You seem to be doing everything else at lightspeed. I just thought I'd inquire..." she said with a smirk.

"Well even if we had, I probably wouldn't tell you seeing as you told Z about my and Emma's first few kisses," Regina said with a roll of her eyes.

"She's kinda got a point there, Kat," Zelena said in her sister's defense.

"But actually, I am considering taking her away somewhere special for her birthday. It's coming up soon. And I haven't been on a vacation in a while. I figure Emma gives me a good excuse to go somewhere," Regina stated with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Really, Gina? I swear, you two _are_ moving at lightspeed with this relationship," Zelena chuckled. "You're not planning on proposing to her then are you? I mean, even Robin, the hopeless romantic that he is, waited a few years before popping the question."

"What?! Z, are you serious? We'll only have been going out for a little over a month by then."

"Yeah but you'll be taking a trip together which is kind of a big step, right? Have you even met her family yet?" Kathryn asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Actually yes. I met her mom, Ingrid, briefly before she came over for Sunday dinner when we went to her house to pick up Henry. We exchanged a couple of hugs and everything. It's just Emma and her mom. She doesn't have any brothers or sisters."

"That sounds nice, dear," Cora said as she walked up behind the younger women. "Are you girls ready to see Gal Gadot kick some Nazi ass?!"

"Mom, really?!" Zelena said. "See, Gina, this is why I didn't want you inviting her," she faux-whined as she walked arm in arm with her mother towards their theater.

* * *

Somewhere between the end of the movie and the walk to the car it was determined that the four women would head over to Granny's for an evening snack. The place was pretty crowded for a Tuesday night but the ladies were given a table right away after Granny spotted Regina waiting.

"Wow. Must be nice knowing the owner, huh?" Kathryn said as she shimmied into her side of the booth first. Zelena smirked and agreed and she slid in behind her.

"I didn't know that she would do that," Regina replied. "I guess it's because she and Emma and her granddaughter are all really close."

"How so?" Cora asked as she sat down on the other side of the table next to Regina.

"Well Emma and Ruby are best friends and Granny sees Emma as like another granddaughter."

"Oh, that's nice, dear," Cora responded as they all looked over their menus.

They ended up all ordering various flavored milkshakes and sharing a large basket of fries.

"So, Gina, have you and Emma actually sealed the deal yet?"

Zelena and Kathryn nearly spit out their milkshakes as they snorted. Luckily Regina wasn't drinking hers as she calmly answered, "If you must know, Mom, Kat already asked me that earlier before the movie and I'll give you the same answer I gave her. No. We haven't. But I'll be sure to not let you know when it finally does happen," she said with an arrogant smirk before she took a sip of her milkshake.

"So do you think you're going to wait until this trip you're going to take her on for her birthday then?" Zelena asked in earnest forgetting that her mother had not been there for that part of their conversation earlier. She winced as soon as she realized what she had let slip.

Regina gave her older sister a glare instead of a vocal answer. Cora noticed the interaction between her daughters and chuckled instead of inquiring any further about Zelena's question. A little bit of an awkward lapse in conversation ensued before Kathryn decided to try to defuse the tension.

"So how about that Themyscira? I've never really wanted to be with a woman but Robin Wright as Antiope had me considering switching teams. Like she was hotter than Steve and Chris Pine was pretty much naked in that one scene!"

All of the other women nodded and hummed their agreement before they launched into describing and remembering their favorite parts of the movie together.

* * *

Zelena had dropped off Cora and Kathryn at their respective homes before she and Regina had returned back to the home of the latter. After pulling into the driveway, Regina made to exit the car but was stopped by Zelena. She gently grabbed Regina by her wrist to get her attention.

"Hey, I'm sorry about that slip up about you taking Emma on vacation earlier, Gina. Honestly, I simply forgot that Mom was at the table with us and not there for that conversation earlier." She looked down into her lap where she held her hands together.

Regina gave her sister a small, warm smile. "It's okay, Z. We all make mistakes. She didn't push it with any of her normally intrusive questions so it's cool. Really. Besides, one of you two are going to be caring for Luce when Emma and I do go," she said with a smirk as she opened the door to get out of the car. Zelena looked after her sister with a smile as she pulled the keys from the ignition to follow her inside to retrieve her family.

When they walked into the living room, they found everyone asleep together in a large heap on the sofa. Star Wars: The Force Awakens was playing on the tv screen. Both sisters instantly took out their phones and crept over to get a picture of the adorable scene before gently waking their family members. After Zelena had gotten her family out of the door and said goodnight for everyone who were still groggy and therefore not speaking, Regina locked up before putting Lucy to bed. She had to go back downstairs to retrieve her phone from her purse before she could get ready to go to bed herself. She immediately noticed a text from Emma when she instinctively checked it as she walked back up the stairs. She smiled as she read the message.

 _*So was it just as good the second time?*_

 _*Yes if not better. I noticed a few things that I had somehow missed the first time*_

 _*Yeah that's one of my fav things about rewatching movies*_

 _*Me too. So we went to Granny's after for milkshakes and we got a seat right away*_

 _*How? That's place is always busy. Wait...let me guess. You ran into Granny and she gave you a table didn't she*_

 _*Yup! Pretty much*_

 _*Well you're welcome*_

 _*Lol. Thanks. So somehow it came up 2 diff times tonite about whether we've slept together yet...*_

 _*Wow. Your fam and friends don't pull any punches do they? What'd you tell them?*_

 _*What do you mean? I told them the truth. I'm sorry was I not there when we had our first time or something...?*_

 _*LOL. No. Of course not! But I mean we did come pretty close last night...*_

 _*That we did. I still don't know how we ended up in my bedroom...*_

 _*Me either ;)*_

 _*Oh I think you do, Miss 'I want to see what your en suite bathroom looks like'*_

 _*What? I did. I was just curious... Your bed is so comfy tho. Of course you would have a queen sized bed*_

 _*What's that supposed to mean exactly?*_

 _*Uh... That you should be treated like a queen. Obvi ;)*_

 _*Lol. Nice save. We're really lucky tho that they thought we were downstairs and didn't think to look for us in my room. That could've been awkward...*_

 _*HA. I know right?! But I just think it means we need to be a little more safe and lock the door behind us if we're gonna make out on your bed*_

 _*Well I def would've done that had I known your intentions when you came to 'look at my bathroom'*_

 _*What? I did end up actually using it*_

 _*Lol. Yes you did. So when am I seeing you next?*_

 _*I'm not sure. I actually have a couple of ongoing cases right now. One I might even need to get the help of an old friend of mine who's a detective. So I'll let you know*_

Something clicked and Regina remembered that one picture from Emma's apartment that she never asked her about.

 _*Wait is that who you're with in that one pic in your apartment that you're doing a Charlie's Angels pose with two women? One blonde, one brunette?*_

 _*Yes actually... Stalker much?*_

 _*I'm not a stalker. I was just admiring your photos while you were in the bathroom and I forgot to ask you about that one*_

 _*Well the brunette is Jane Rizzoli and the blonde is Maura Isles. Jane's a homicide detective at BPD and Maura is the medical examiner there. Jane and I went to the same high school and sometimes she helps me with work*_

 _*Interesting. So do you still keep in touch with her?*_

 _*Yeah I'll shoot her a text every now and then to say hey and see how Maura's doing? Make sure she hasn't broken her heart yet*_

 _*Oh so they're a couple then? They're cute*_

 _*Not as cute as us but yeah they're kinda made for each other. Hey maybe we can go on a double date or something with them sometime soon in the city. It'll give me a good excuse to see them and I can show off my new gorgeous girlfriend*_

 _*Maybe. Sounds like fun. Alright, let me know about work okay?*_

 _*Yes ma'am. Good night beautiful*_

 _*Night. Sweet dreams*_

 _*Yup. Cuz you'll prob be in them*_

Regina's smile got even wider at the kissy face emoji that ended their conversation. She went through her nighttime routine and went right to bed still grinning about and looking forward to the next time that she would see her girlfriend.


	16. Chapter 16

"So it's going to be my weekend to cover this one coming up. Just to let you know," Emma said to Regina as she rinsed the dishes from dinner and put them in the dishwasher.

"Oh, okay," Regina responded as she scooped out some ice cream for them to have for dessert. "So we can't make any solid plans then?"

"More like we probably shouldn't... Yeah. But would you mind taking Henry with you to Sunday dinner? He's been talking about it all week. He's so excited to go again," Emma stated as she put the last dish into the washer and closed it.

Regina met her at the sink with her bowl of ice cream and a smile before they both walked towards the living room. "Sure! You won't be coming with him then...?"

Emma sensed the sad tinge in Regina's voice and offered, "I mean I guess I can still come since it is more of an on-call situation."

"If that's the case then why did August not come to dinner last week?"

"Hmmm. I don't know. Good point. Maybe I'll ask him about that," Emma said as they sat down together on the couch.

Regina handed Emma her bowl as she reached forward to get the remote from the coffee table. She leaned back and scooted closer to Emma as she navigated through the on demand menu to find the show they were going to watch. "Okay. We can finally finish _Big Little Lies_."

"Good. It's been so hard to not find articles to read more about it. And not ruin anything for myself."

"You do that too? Sometimes I find myself reading about tv shows when it gets a little slow at the library. But I know how this one is gonna turn out. I'm just curious to see how they portray it."

"Alright let's start it up!"

* * *

Emma and Ruby had decided to do a friend's date and see _Wonder Woman_ again after having a meal together at Granny's on Saturday night. The two sat in a booth in the back. Incidentally Emma noticed that it was the same one that she and Regina had sat in for their first date as they perused their menus. They pretty much knew them by heart, especially Ruby, and knew what they wanted to order already but they both just wanted to make sure there wasn't anything new on the menu that they were possibly missing out on trying.

"So you've pretty much spent every night this week at Regina's except Tuesday when she went out to see _Wonder Woman_ again?"

"Yup. Pretty much. We've actually got a little bit of a routine going already. We spend time and play with Henry and Luce up until dinner is ready. Then we eat and usually let them play some more by themselves and we watch tv together until it gets late enough for me to leave."

"Wow. That's sounds terribly domestic, Em. Do you do the dishes after dinner too?"

Emma didn't answer and was saved from doing so when their waitress approached their table to take their drink orders. They gave her their entire orders and chatted about their work weeks until their food arrived.

* * *

"Do you want to split a hot fudge sundae with me?" Emma asked as their plates were cleared away.

"Dude, no! Where do you put it all? I swear! Plus, Granny's being weird and not picking up our tab and I'm saving up to take Belle to a nicer place on our next date."

Emma chuckled. "Okay. I'll just get a snack from concessions when we get to the movies. So hold up? You two haven't had your second, sorry third, date yet? What are you waiting for, Rubes?"

"Well some of us in more normal paced relationships don't get to see the women we're dating on a daily basis," Ruby answered. "But I'm thinking of taking her somewhere on Sunday. Are you going to that Sunday dinner thing again with Regina's fam?"

"Yes, we are. Hopefully I won't have to work then. You know what's kinda weird though?"

"The fact that you're pretty much a daughter-in-law after knowing Regina for only like two weeks...? Kidding. No. What?"

"August didn't come to dinner last week and he gave working as an excuse but I'm able to come when it's my weekend to cover."

"Oh, I actually know what's going on there. He was ring shopping with me," Ruby said with a smirk and a mischievous lift of her eyebrows.

"WHAT?! Are you serious?!"

"Dude, calm down. People are gonna start staring. And yes, I'm serious."

"How long have they been going out for? And everyone's making fun of how fast Regina and me are moving," Emma said with an eyeroll.

"I don't know but he said it just feels like the right time. They do live together now and everything..." Ruby replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Wow, just...wow. I can't believe August is gonna pop the question to Jeff and I was left out of the loop on that."

"Well maybe he figured since you've been spending so much time with Regina that you might tell her and then it would somehow get back to Jeff... I don't know. When I think about it like that it kinda makes more sense. So enough about those two. Have you and Regina done the dirty yet?"

Emma didn't even give her an answer, only an annoyed look.

"What?" Ruby chuckled, putting her hands up in a defensive posture. "You two are going through all of the other relationship steps so fast I sorta figured you would have gone through that one too."

Emma stared at Ruby with her arms crossed and her elbows resting on the table for a full thirty seconds before responding. "First of all, as you so clearly pointed out, we have children. And we'd rather not scar them by having them possibly walk in on us naked together doing God knows what."

Ruby interrupted Emma's rant. "Hold on. You do remember how to do it right?"

"Seriously, Rubes!"

"What?! It's been a while since you've had actual sex. I'm just looking out for your, and Regina's for that matter, best interests."

"Thanks, dude," Emma replied in a monotone.

"Hey what are friends for?" Ruby said with a smirk.

"Anyway... Also I'd like our first time to be a little bit more memorable than a rushed fuck in someone's childhood bedroom or something like that."

"That was kind of specific...Wait!" Ruby leaned in toward Emma and whispered excitedly, "Did you two almost do it at Regina's parents' house last Sunday?!"

Emma grinned wickedly and winked as she stood up grabbing the bill. "A lady never tells."

* * *

Emma, Regina, Lucy and Henry pulled into the driveway of the Mills residence at just about the same time as Jefferson and August were getting out of their car. The two men waved at the arriving party and waited for them to get out of Regina's Mercedes. After everyone had exited the car, both Lucy and Henry ran towards Jefferson to give him a hug. Emma walked up to August with Regina in tow, and punched August in the arm as a greeting. He grinned as he knew exactly why she had hit him and said a normal hello to Regina. She released Emma's hand and moved in to give him a warm hug. August happily returned her affections.

"Hey, Gina. Are you trying to take my man?"

Regina laughed in response to her brother as they all walked into the house. As they made their way back toward the kitchen, they could hear the rest of the extended Mills family laughing.

"Hey!" Henry Mills exclaimed as they all walked in. "My new mijo and mija are here again!" He immediately walked past his own children to greet August and Emma with warm hugs.

"Really, Dad?" Jefferson asked in faux anger, but he couldn't hide the grin on his face.

"So the Ravens game is on right after the Pats game today. Are you boys going to stay to watch it?"

"Sure!" August answered without hesitation. He then looked at Jefferson after realizing he had inadvertently spoken for both of them.

Jefferson glared at August for all of two seconds before chuckling his response. "Yeah, I guess so. What are we having for dinner today, Ma?"

Cora who was standing at the island looking over her grandson's shoulder as he intently texted someone responded, "I thought I'd make something easy today. So we're just having paella. I put it on this morning. It should be ready pretty soon. And since it's kind of hard to make a mess while eating it I've decided to let us all eat in the family room again."

Everyone cheered at that announcement. "Oh, calm down. I actually want to see the game today."

"Why, who's playing?" Emma asked.

"Her Philadelphia Eagles," Zelena answered with a smirk.

"Wait, you're an Eagles fan?" Emma asked incredulously. "How'd that happen? Are you from there or something?"

"No but my college boyfriend who got me into watching football and sports in general was a diehard fan. I guess it sort of just stuck with me. Plus, I think that city's been through a lot and really deserves a championship."

Everyone but August, Emma and Henry groaned at that.

"Apparently this college boyfriend was a gluten for punishment," August whispered to Emma.

Emma snickered but then asked, "So when did you meet your husband then?"

"Well that's an interesting story," Cora answered. "But the short version is that we ran against each other for a city council position when we were younger."

"Really? Wow."

"Yes, mija. I was such an arrogant young man. But I told Cora that if she beat me she'd have to at least go on a date with me."

"So you guilted her into going on a date with you...wait. Who won?" Emma asked.

"Cora did, of course. But I like to say that I lost on purpose just so I could get a date with her," Henry said, lifting his eyebrows and grinning.

"And I like to tell the truth, dear, and say that I outcampaigned you and you were blindsided by the political aptitude of a small woman," Cora said with a confident smirk.

"Well it's kind of hard to argue with a woman who's been the mayor of our fair town for most of her adult life," Henry said as he walked over to his wife and gave her a kiss that turned into a longer one than he intended when Cora wrapped her arms around his neck and kept him there.

Once again, everyone but August, Emma and Henry groaned and made fake vomit noises at the loving display.

"Oh, calm down, everyone. It's nothing you haven't seen before," Cora stated still standing with her arms wrapped around her husband.

"In fact, it's how we started this fine family of ours," Henry said as he gave his wife one last kiss before she released her hold on him.

Robin grabbed the football that had been sitting on the counter and asked, "Hey, who wants to toss the ball around outside for a bit with me?"

All of the children immediately answered in the affirmative as they ran out the back door after him followed by Emma and August. This left the original Mills family standing in the kitchen together.

"So, since August and I are staying here for the second game I guess I'll definitely go through with asking him to marry me here then," Jefferson stated to everyone in a nonchalant manner.

Everyone reacted simultaneously.

"DIOS MIO, WHAT?!" Henry exclaimed.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" Regina and Zelena yelled together.

"MY BABY BOY'S GETTING HITCHED!" Cora practically screamed.

Everyone then immediately walked over to Jefferson and they found themselves in a group hug, congratulating him. After they released each other, he pulled a small box from him blazer pocket and opened it to show them the ring.

"I did kind of think you were overdressed for Sunday dinner when you first walked in," Zelena stated. "Now I know why. So how were you going to do it then?"

"Well, I was going to have him go for a walk with me around the back yard after dinner. August loves looking at the leaves turn colors. Autumn has always been his favorite time of year," Jefferson answered. "And then when the time was right, I was just going to get down on one knee and propose."

Cora squealed, "Oh, I can't believe you were going to propose to him here, baby boy!"

"It just seems right. I mean, he's the reason why I came home and our backyard is so beautiful this time of year I kind of figured why not, you know?"

Just then Emma walked back in and her eyes immediately went to the still open box displaying the ring. "Jeff are you going to propose to August?!"

"Yes, silly," Regina chuckled as she quickly shut the door behind Emma. "And lower your voice before you ruin the surprise."

"Ha. That's funny though because Ruby told me last night that she went ring shopping with August last week," she said mostly in Regina's general direction. She didn't realize what she had said until Regina was gaping and staring at Emma with wide eyes.

"Shit! I so wasn't supposed to say anything," Emma said, wincing.

"Oh my God, you guys are in a race to see who's going to propose first and you didn't even know it! I mean, up until Emma just spilled the beans that it," Zelena said, giving her side eye.

"I am so sorry, Jeff. It just kind of slipped out. On the brightside, at least you know you're both in the same place in your relationship since you both want to propose, right...?" she said as she shrugged her shoulders.

Regina shook her head and smiled as she walked over to her girlfriend to give a quick kiss to basically shut her up.

"That's definitely one of the things that has always confused me about gay relationships. Who proposes to whom? I guess it doesn't really matter as long as someone is willing to say yes," Cora stated.

"Good point, Mom. But I'm definitely planning on beating him to the punch," Jefferson said as he put the box back into his pocket. "I wonder what my engagement ring is going to look like."

"That I actually don't know," Emma addressed Jefferson directly. "I wasn't there when they went shopping which I guess is a good thing since I almost immediately gave it away when I just walked in. Sorry, again, Jeff."

"It's okay, Em," Jefferson chuckled in response. "You didn't ruin anything. Trust me, he'll still be surprised when I ask him."

"When you ask me what?" August had somehow walked into the kitchen without anyone noticing. Everyone stopped, stunned into silence, not wanting to answer and possibly give anything away. August felt the strange emotion in the room though, and also noticed how everyone was staring at him awkwardly. He was about to say something about this when Robin and all the children came back in behind him having no idea what was going on. Robin, still holding the football, walked over and gave his wife a quick kiss on the cheek in greeting before looking around at the adults who were still staring awkwardly at August. He too turned to look at the man whose facial expression could only be described as fear.

August looked directly at his boyfriend as he said, "Babe, has something happened...is everything okay?"

Jefferson's face relaxed into a warm smile as he walked over to August. "Well I guess now is as good a time as any. The man that I love and all of my family are here. Why not?"

When he reached August he got down on one knee in front of him and took one of his hands. Then he quickly pulled the ring box back out of his jacket pocket with his free hand. He looked up at a completely stunned August.

Henry sensing something important was happening but not wanting to get in trouble for ruining it, whispered to Emma, "What's he doing, mommy?" Emma was too much in shock at what she was about to witness to respond to her son's tug on her leg and his question.

Jefferson let go of August's hand to open the box and held it up to him with both hands. "August Wayne Booth. Will you make me the happiest man on the planet and be my husband?"

August pulled Jefferson up off of his bended knee by the lapels of his blazer into a passionate but closed mouth kiss before engulfing him in a tight hug. Everyone immediately cheered. Henry put his hands over his ears as he still didn't really understand exactly what was happening.

"Is that a yes?" Jefferson whispered into August's ear with a grin.

"Yes, you smug idiot," he answered before giving him a longer kiss this time. All of the parents in the room almost simultaneously reached for their respective children and covered their eyes with their hands until the two men had finished their intimate embrace.

"Get a room!" Regina yelled after they finally stopped kissing and stood there with matching radiant smiles looking happily into each other's eyes. They both turned to look at her and finally let go of each other and just held hands still beaming at the rest of the room.

"Are you actually going to put the ring on him, mijo?" Henry chuckled.

"Oh! Yeah. Here you go, sweetie," Jefferson said as he slid the ring onto August's finger. August immediately held his hand up in front of him examining his new ring.

Before anyone could come over to congratulate them, they were walking out of the kitchen. Jefferson had whispered something into August's ear and his fiancé had nodded his head in agreement before being led out of the room.

"Wait, Jeff, where are guys going?!" Zelena called out.

"I'm going to show August my old room," Jefferson called back over his shoulder as the newly engaged men exited the kitchen.

* * *

Mostly everyone was sitting in the family room enjoying the game together. At some point, Lucy looked up at her mother from her position on the floor playing with Henry and asked where her Uncle Jeff was. All of the adults who heard the question snickered.

"Uh...he's just with Uncle August in his old room, mija," Regina answered.

"Okay," Lucy answered. "Why?"

Regina closed her eyes slowly and exhaled in defeat at the dreaded why question that her daughter has just posed.

Henry decided to help his daughter out. "They're just celebrating their engagement. They'll be down to join us for dinner soon," he said with a smile.

Right on cue, Cora walked into the family room to announce that everyone could come and make their plates. She immediately noticed her son and future son-in-law's absences. "Are they still up there?" she asked to no one in particular.

"Yup. They've been going at it for a while now," Zelena whispered in her direction. She was sitting the closest to where her mother was standing but right next to her son and daughter and she knew that her son could infer as to what they were talking about.

"Just text or call his phone," Regina supplied. "I'm sure he'll get the message. And I'm also sure that none of us want to walk in on whatever they're doing to celebrate," she said as an aside.

"That's actually one of the things that I'm grateful your brother always spared us from witnessing when he left here for college," Cora stated with a smirk.

"Really, Mom? He was gone for years and that's what you're thankful for?" Regina asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I actually agree with her on that one, mija," Henry said as he stood up to follow Cora into the kitchen.

* * *

Zelena ended up texting her baby brother to come down for dinner. She showed Robin, Emma and Regina the actual text that read, "Hey bro come down and join us for dinner after I'm assuming you're done doing so with your fiancé." They had a laugh at that but she actually got in a little bit of trouble when she refused to show Cora what they were all laughing at.

The two men did indeed join them a few minutes after Zelena's text looking far less disheveled than any of the adults expected them to.

"I got your text, Z," Jefferson announced as they entered the room. "We weren't even doing anything. I just wanted to show him my old PlayStation."

"Is that a new euphemism that the kids are using these days...?" Robin asked.

"No, dude," August said with a grin. "We really were up there just playing some of Jeff's old video games. We weren't doing anything else," August said in an annoyed, sexually frustrated, tone.

Emma recognized his tone and gave him a sad pout. "Sorry, August." She went to stand next to him after grabbing a plate. Everyone had formed a line to get to the paella still in the crock pot. "You guys really didn't do anything up there?" she whispered to her longtime friend.

"Nope. And not from a lack of trying on my part," he whispered back. "Jeff really does love his video games. We made out for like five minutes before he remembered that they were there and he totally abandoned kissing me and made me play with him."

"Mmmm. And you wanted him to be playing with something else, huh?" Emma asked, waggling her eyebrows at August.

"Pretty much," he answered in his normal voice as he put some food onto his plate. He looked lovingly in Jefferson's direction. "But it's one of the many things that I love about that man."

"Wow, dude. You've got it bad," Emma said with a chuckle. "I can't believe you're going to be getting married soon!" Emma said excitedly as she put a heaping pile of food onto her plate. So much so that it was close to spilling off.

"I know right?! Well, I guess I can give him his ring when we get home. I can't believe he beat me to it! I had a super romantic evening planned out."

"Yeah, you kind of can't really surprise him with that either... I pretty much ruined that for you..." Emma said as they walked back toward the family room, plates and drinks in hand.

"Yeah, he told me. Thanks for that, Em," August said with a dramatic roll of the eyes. "That's why I only asked Ruby to help me to get a ring. I knew you'd probably blab to Regina."

"Sorry, man. We've been spending a lot of time together lately so it probably would've come up one way or another. So it probably is good that you kept me out of the loop."

"It's cool. I understand how close you two are getting. I wouldn't want you to have to keep anything from her on my account. What's going on there anyway? You hit that yet?"

"Really, August?! I would have never expected that from you," Emma huffed in faux shock. "But no, dude. I've known her for less than a month. It'll happen when it happens."

"From what I hear you had a little make out section on your sofa after your first date...?"

"Good to know that Ruby still holds the title of town gossip. Is that the real reason why you took her ring shopping with you. So you could get some dirt about me and Regina?"

"I mean, we had to talk about something at lunch," August said with a grin and a wink as they sat down together.

"My ears are burning," Regina said as she sat on the other side of Emma.

Emma smiled at her. "All good things, Gina. And I'm sure it'll ease your mind to know that your baby brother and my former foster brother were mainly just playing video games up in Jeff's old room."

"HA. Sounds about right," Regina laughed. "Tell me August, how many gaming systems does he have at your place?"

"At least three," August said with a mouthful of food.

"Dude, swallow before you answer the lady," Emma responded with even more food in her mouth.

"You two are ridiculous," Regina chuckled.

* * *

Everyone stayed until the Ravens game was over. Unfortunately, it was a loss for August's team but Jefferson promised to make him feel better as soon as they got home. Goodbyes and congratulations were said before each family made their way to their respective cars. Cora had promised to make everyone a special meal to more officially celebrate the engagement next Sunday.

When Emma, Henry, Lucy and Regina pulled into the driveway of Regina's house the foursome all made their way into the house, not even needing to officially agree upon Emma and Henry staying a little bit longer with Regina and Lucy. The two toddlers who were somehow still wide awake took their leave and went up to Lucy's playroom as the two mothers cuddled on the couch. They decided to watch a movie on one of Regina's many premium channels instead of a television program.

About an hour later, the children came back downstairs asking if they could have a dessert. The woman couldn't deny them one and they all had bowls of ice cream together in front of the tv as they watched a more child-friendly movie.

When it ended, the children were still wide awake but the mothers had decided that it was time for bed and for Emma and Henry to go home. For some reason, neither toddler fought it this time. The two families said goodnight to each other after agreeing to have dinner together again tomorrow night. When Regina and Emma went to kiss each other Lucy and Henry gave each other a look as something clicked for both of them simultaneously. It was Lucy that spoke up first.

"Mommy are you and Emma engaged too?"

The two women who had just pulled back from their kiss both looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Um...no, mija. Emma and I are..."

"Are what?" Henry asked.

"Well, I guess this was bound to happen sometime," Emma chuckled. "Should we sit them down and tell them together? Or do you want to do it separately?" she asked. Her question was answered with a knowing smirk from Regina as she relocked the door behind Emma, picked Lucy up and walked back in the direction of the living room.

"That answers that question then," Emma said as she and Henry followed them.


	17. Chapter 17

Regina and Emma sat side by side on the couch and sat their children down on the coffee table in front of them.

"So... Do you wanna start?" Emma asked, looking sidelong at Regina.

"Why do I have to go first?" Regina asked incredulously.

"Because I believe it was your daughter who posed the question first?"

"Well technically..."

"Really, Gina?"

"Okay, okay," Regina chuckled.

The two toddlers looked back and forth between their mothers as they sat patiently waiting for an explanation and for their mothers to stop bickering.

"So, mija. You know how you used to have a daddy?"

"Daddy Daniel? Yes!"

"And I've always told you how much I loved him and how we would have lived together as a family if he hadn't been taken from us before you were born?"

"Uh huh," Lucy said obediently, waiting eagerly for further explaining from her mother.

"Well," Emma had decided to jump in and help at this point. Regina exhaled loudly and let Emma take over. "How about this? Lucy, you know how Uncle Robin and Auntie Z and Grandma and Grandpa are married right? And Henry, you know how David and Mary Margaret are married too?"

Both children nodded their heads indicating that they were indeed following her line of thinking.

"So Uncle Jeff and Uncle August are going to get married. That's what happened today when everyone got really excited in the kitchen before dinner."

"When Uncle August kissed Uncle Jeff?" Lucy asked to clarify.

"Yes," Emma and Regina said in unison.

Emma continued, "Well before they decided to get married they were what we adults like to call dating. And that's what Regina and me are doing now?"

"Is that okay?" Regina asked them with hesitance in her voice.

"Yeah." "Okay," Henry and Lucy said almost simultaneously.

Each woman let out a breath they hadn't even realized that they had been holding. Then they looked at each other and back to their children. They both made arm motions for their respective children to come and sit in their laps. Both toddlers complied by launching themselves from their seats on the coffee table and into their mothers' waiting arms for hugs and kisses.

* * *

 _*Well that def could've gone way worse*_ Emma texted Regina later that night after they had both put their children to bed.

 _*I agree. It's actually kind of weird that it only just came up for us tonight. How long have we been going out for now?*_

 _*Idk. We haven't been official for that long tho. So maybe like us they just considered us to be friends...?*_

 _*Maybe. So when do want to go on our second date then?*_

 _*Whoa slow down there woman! J/k Well that depends. Do you want to go on a weeknight?*_

 _*Sure! If you're willing to*_

 _*Cool because Jane and Maura are free for dinner on Tuesday!*_

 _*Wait. We just agreed to go on our second date like 2 sec ago. How have you already made arrangements for a double date with them?*_

 _*Let's just say that I anticipated you saying yes to a 2nd date. And also I sorta jumped the gun and had already asked when they would be free next...*_

 _*LOL. You're too cute. So I'm guessing we're going to be meeting them somewhere in the city*_

 _*Yup. Someplace called the Dirty Robber...? Idk. But Jane says I can get a good burger there so it sounded good to me*_

 _*Of course you wouldn't care about a place named that as long as you can get a prob greasy delicious burger*_

 _*You know me so well ;)*_

 _*So I guess I'll try to make us something super healthy tom to supplement however fine the Dirty Robber's menu turns out to be*_

 _*Sounds like a plan. I'll see you tom beautiful*_

 _*Good night and sweet dreams xo*_

Regina's kissy face emoji made Emma smile with all of her heart. She truly loved this woman. She was beyond excited to show her off to Maura and Jane. She was sure she and Regina could give them a run for their money in the category of best-looking couple.

* * *

The two mothers took Emma's car into the city for their double date with Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles. Regina had asked Emma if she could just wear her work clothes and Emma had agreed saying that she was technically wearing hers, so why not. Regina was actually a little bit nervous to meet the two women who presumably knew Emma quite well. Since Emma didn't have much family, Regina began to view her circle of friends as such. So she was curious to see how Emma acted around these two women.

Regina walked thru the door that Emma held for her and waited for her girlfriend to catch up. Emma took Regina's hand as she looked around and spotting her friends, she smiled and gave a wave before leading Regina over to a booth.

Jane and Maura got out of their seats before Emma got to their table and greeted her with a couple of enthusiastic hugs. They remained standing as Emma introduced them to Regina.

"Detective Rizzoli, Dr. Isles I'd like to introduce you to my girlfriend, Regina Mills, M.L.S.," Emma stated proudly with a smirk.

Regina gave Emma a sidelong look of confusion at the stated titles but put her hand out to greet the two also confused-looking women. "It's just Regina. I'm currently just working on getting my Master's in Library Science. Maura and Jane, is it?"

"Yeah," Jane chuckled in a deep voice. "Nice to meet you Regina," she said as she shook the other brunette's hand.

"Yes, it's so lovely to meet you," Maura said with a smile. "That's nice that you're getting an advanced degree. What school are you going to?" she asked as all four women sat down together in the booth.

"I'm taking courses online at Simmons College," Regina answered.

"Oh, they have an excellent Library and Information Studies program there!"

"Yes they do," Regina said with a smile. "Not a lot of people tend to know that offhand though. Most people usually ask me why I need to go to graduate school to check books out to people." Regina sighed. "It can be just a little bit frustrating."

"Well those people are very misinformed. I'm sure as a librarian at a smaller library you actually have to do more than the average librarian. You probably do a little bit of everything from programing and promotion, to research and helping the everyday patron with various questions and issues. Not to mention ILL requests and knowing how to use and troubleshoot the vastly differing devices that patrons can now access information with using technology. Everything from reading and listening to books to watching video. It's okay, Regina. Don't get too down on yourself. Most citizens don't actually know what goes into providing their services and getting them materials that they feel they need. They just want what they want when they want it, right?" Maura looked at Regina with a warm smile.

"Yes," Regina huffed out. "That's exactly right." She looked at Emma as she said, "Wow. Where'd you find her?" She looked back across the table as she addressed Maura. "I've never met anyone who knew so much about my job without actually being a librarian themselves."

"Yup! That's our Maura. She knows a lot about a lot," Emma stated proudly with a wide grin.

"Almost everything actually," Jane added just as proudly. "But, hey, having people not understanding the ins and outs of your job is better than getting shot at or chasing down criminals for a living. Right, Swan?" Jane said with a chuckle.

"Sure, Jane," Emma responded, picking up her menu. "Hey, how's Mama Rizzoli doing?"

"Oh, you know. Just being her," Jane answered with a sigh as she too looked at her own menu. "She actually works at the café in the precinct."

Emma snorted. "Oh I'm sure you're loving that."

"Well, yes, it's really nice seeing Angela there almost everyday," Maura responded.

"Yeah well if she wasn't there, she'd still find a way to constantly insert herself into our daily lives anyway so... Her newest thing is trying to talk us into having a baby."

"Really?! Sounds about right though," Emma said with a chuckle. "You are getting up there. Maybe you two should get a move on with that," she said as she winked at Maura.

"Yeah...we'll see. I mean, it would definitely be easy because Ma'd be there to help us out with the little guy or girl. If it's meant to happen, it'll happen is what I always say," Jane stated absentmindedly.

"Yeah, your house was always like a second home to me. I still miss your mom's cooking sometimes."

"Well it's not like no one cooks for you now, Emma," Regina said.

"Oh, you cook for her?" Jane asked. "Good because she always kinda sucked at it."

"Hey! How would you even know? We only had that one Home Ec class together."

"What's Home Ec?" Maura asked in earnest.

"Please excuse Maura," Jane stated. "She went to fancy private schools. And I'm assuming she took classes like Latin and Drama over Home Ec, Gym and Shop.

"Well, Maur," Emma responded. "Home Ec is the more domestic and opposite version of the also required shop class. You learn to sew and cook and bake. We had to make an item of clothing pretty much from scratch and we got graded on that. And then we had to follow the instructions and use all of the right ingredients and stuff to make these mini meals. It was pretty awesome actually. I loved the days when we cooked because then we always got to eat it after."

"Well you had an amazing partner too," Jane said with a smirk.

"Is that how you two became friends?" Regina asked. "In Home Ec class?"

"Pretty much," Jane answered. "There's no way this one would have passed without me. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, Regina."

Regina chuckled. "Well I only know what Emma's told me when it comes to her lack of cooking prowess, but she actually did make me a delicious breakfast once, so..." She grinned as she perused her menu.

"Oh, come one, that's breakfast. Anybody can not screw that up. I'm sure Henry can make a suitable meal for breakfast at this point. That doesn't count," Jane said with a dismissive flick of her wrist.

"Why not?" Maura asked genuinely. "Breakfast is a meal and Regina says that Emma made a delicious one for her. It seems that Emma is good at cooking something."

"Thank you, Maura. Breakfast totally counts. I knew I always liked you better than Jane here."

"Uh huh," Jane replied with a grin. "So who's place was this breakfast made at and was there a date the night before or...?"

Regina blushed and decided to let Emma answer that one as she lifted her menu higher to look at it more closely.

"Dude, you're just meeting her and you're asking those types of questions in front of her already?" Emma asked.

"What? We don't get to see you that often and who knows when we'll see you next. I'm just playing catch up here. So. Wait...how do you guys even get any privacy? Didn't you say you met through your kids? I'm presuming they're always there with you when you hang out right? How do you get any adult alone time?" Jane asked, leaning in as she awaited some answers.

"Oh, Emma has her ways," Regina said confidently from behind her menu.

Emma cleared her throat. "Yeah... So, what's good here?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Nothing really. Since they changed their menu to this healthy crap."

"Jay, you said I could get a good burger here. That implies not healthy," Emma said, giving Jane a pointed look.

"I know, Em. It really sucks that..."

"Jane..." Maura said in a warning tone.

"But what my woman wants, my woman gets. She's really been on me to eat healthier lately. Like a kale salad is somehow going to stop a perp from pulling a gun on me or something," she mumbled the end of her sentence.

"Now I see where you get that 'woman' thing from," Regina said quietly in Emma's direction.

"Excuse me?" Maura asked Regina.

"Oh, nothing. What would you recommend, Maura?" Regina asked in her normal voice.

* * *

The four women had a pleasant meal together. Regina and Maura both immensely enjoyed their specialty salads while Emma and Jane had a harder time getting down their veggie burgers. They decided to go back to Maura and Jane's place for nightcaps. Maura's house had only recently become their place after Jane finally gave up her bachelorette pad to finally move in with Maura.

Jane and Maura sat cuddled up at one end of the couch while Emma and Regina sat closely together down at the other end facing them. "So, Swan, you've been going to Regina's for family dinners on Sundays? Like as a regular thing...?"

"Yeah, Jane," Emma chuckled in response. "Why is that such a hard thing to get your head around?"

"I think she's asking that because you two have only been dating for a short amount of time and it seems like you've skipped a few steps in what could be called more normal relationships. Is that what you mean, Jane?" Maura asked, looking behind herself.

Jane kissed the side of Maura's head and gave her a squeeze around her waist. "Yes, babe," she chuckled.

"What's so weird about that? Apparently Mama Rizzoli lived here with Maura for a little bit before you two officially got together. And Maura already knew your brothers."

"But that's different, Em. We pretty much all work together and Ma is Ma. Of course her and Maura are good friends. As soon as she found out that I had feelings for Maura she pretty much inserted herself permanently into her life. Trying to scheme to get us together when she thought I was taking too long. You know how she is."

Regina chuckled as she took a sip of her wine. "She sounds a little like my mother."

"How so?" Maura asked.

"Well Emma and I felt a connection to each other from the very beginning. But we were both shy and hesitant because we didn't want to mess things up for our children and we weren't sure if each other was into women..." Regina said as she grinned at Emma and bumped her shoulder lightly. "So, during our first playdate my mother shows up at my house out of blue wanting to take my daughter and me to the farmer's market. Emma decided that she and Henry would come along. Literally as we're walking down the path of my house to her car she commented on how beautiful she thought Emma was, and with no subtlety I might add. Then as Emma took the children to get ice cream when we were at the farmer's market my mother comes right out and asks me if there's anything going on between us. She was unbelievable."

"Not to mention she practically threw us from her car when we got back to Regina's house and sped off before we could clear the sidewalk," Emma added.

"No kidding?" Jane chuckled. "So it sounds like she knew there was something between you two before you did or would even admit it to each other."

"Yeah, I guess so," Emma said as she took Regina's hand and smiled at her.

"So, you ladies have met each other's families," Maura stated. "Have you had the time or the means to have sex yet?"

"Babe, really?!" Jane asked in shock at Maura's question.

"I was just following up on the question about Emma cooking Regina breakfast presumably after a date from earlier that Emma never answered," Maura said matter-of-factly.

Emma sighed and dropped her chin to her chest, shaking her head and smiling at her friend's inquiry.

* * *

The two couples watched half of a movie together before the two mothers decided that it was time for them to get home in order to collect their children since it was indeed a work and a school night. Maura and Jane both gave Regina a goodbye hug before saying their goodbyes to their friend. As Maura walked ahead with Regina to Emma's Beetle discussing Regina's studies, Jane took the opportunity to say something that she had been holding in all night.

"How did you snag that, Em? She is one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen not on a tv or movie screen. She may even be too hot for you. Seriously, Swan, you're a lucky fucking duck, man!"

"I know right!? I still kinda can't believe that she's mine. I mean, not mine. You know what I mean..." she faded away as she looked ahead at Regina with a small smile.

"And she's got that whole hot librarian thing happening too. Like that is literally a well-known fantasy for so many people. Can you imagine the amount of people in your little town who have walked into that library and gotten a glimpse of her? Hold on. Does she wear glasses?"

"First of all, I live in a suburb of the great city that you've sworn to protect, not in the middle of nowhere. We have a Target, Jane. Second of all, I do think about all of the people who have seen the hotness that is Regina but I'm secure in the fact that they're probably ogling her knowing that I get to kiss and hold her on an almost daily basis. And finally, she only has night time driving glasses but she looks so adorable when she wears them."

"I'm sure she does. I mean, don't get me wrong. She's not as gorgeous as my Maura, but for a brunette she is pretty hot. Definitely one of the hottest I've ever seen in real life. And we both know I've had my share of hot women..."

"Alright, alright. Jeez. It's pretty well established how hot my girl is. Thank you for the salacious yet very accurate compliments. I think."

Jane chuckled. "Hey I'm just happy for you. I've never seen you like this. I straight up caught you just staring at her more than a few times during the movie."

"I know. I just can't believe how lucky we are to have found each other."

"Well you're wasting no time though. You already have me beat by two kids. I'm gonna have to play catch up now."

"Yeah... Wait, are you serious?! You guys really are going to try to have a baby sometime soon?"

"Yeah," Jane sighed. "Maur's been hinting at it a lot lately and you know how subtle she can be."

"Yes, I do," Emma said with a chuckle.

"I'm going to ask her to marry me first though," Jane said suddenly.

Emma stopped dead in her tracks. "WHAT?!" she whisper-screamed as they weren't far behind Maura and Regina who were still engrossed in their conversation.

"Yeah, I've bought a ring and everything, man. Ma helped, of course."

"When are you going to ask her?"

"That part I haven't got figured out yet but I hear that buying the ring is the hardest part and that's done. Who knows? I might just end up popping the question to her one day in her office. We're always at work anyway," Jane said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Yeah I was surprised that you two were free so soon when I first suggested this whole double date thing."

Jane chuckled. "Who'd have thought when we were in high school that we'd end up with two amazing and beautiful women. You with two kids and me married and probably with one on the way soon," Jane mused.

Emma grinned and sighed. "Not me. That's for sure. I actually almost asked you out a couple of times."

"Well I have always had a thing for blondes but you were like my little sister, Em. I couldn't ever go there with you. Even though I knew you had a crush on me," Jane said as she lightly punched Emma on the arm.

"You knew that, huh?"

Emma walked over to join Regina as Maura walked past her giving her a bright smile before walking up to Jane and wrapping her arms tightly around her waist. Jane immediately pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head.

"Man, everyone I know is getting engaged these days!" Emma said as she opened the door for Regina.

Regina got into the car with a confused look on her face at Emma's comment. She had figured it out by the time Emma had gotten into the car with her. "So are you going to be in the wedding then?" she asked with a smirk.

"You know it! I just don't know if I'll be on Maura's or Jane's side. Either way I'm going to throw them one hell of a bachelorette party!" Emma stated excitedly as she pulled away from her friends' house.


	18. Chapter 18

An unexpected person from Emma's past comes back into her life...

Chapter Text

It seemed like everything was going perfectly for Emma. She had an amazing girlfriend, a whole new family and three of her best friends would soon be getting married. It turned out that Jane did end up asking Maura to marry her at work. Apparently in the middle of the precinct in front of almost everybody. She said that the time had just felt right and so she had gone for it. The only bad part about it was that her mother had been working at the time and had missed it. Jane would be hearing about that pretty much for the rest of her life.

Things were going so well for Emma that she knew the other shoe would more than likely drop at some point given the kind of luck she had. And when bad things happened they tended to come in threes as it were.

First, Henry got the chicken pox from another child at school. Before it could spread any further, most of the infected children were taken out of school, but Lucy had also been one of the unlucky kids who had contracted it. Since Emma and Regina had already had the chicken pox as children they decided that it was okay to still see each other on a pretty regular basis. They just had to make the children play together in front of them in the living room so they could make sure that they weren't scratching too much. At one point, they had taped mittens to each of their hands to stop them from doing so. Regina and Emma were then endlessly amused as Lucy and Henry tried to continue to play together without the use of the most of their fingers. They came up with some pretty creative games to get around that though. The two mothers had to stick to PG television programs and movies while they waited for their children to no longer be contagious.

Just as the last of Henry's blisters scabbed over, Emma got a phone call from her mother letting her know that a man named Neal Cassidy had called for her and had asked that she contact him back. Emma was so floored by this information that she was literally speechless for over a minute. Her mother went into hysterics on the other end of the line when she didn't hear a peep from her daughter. When Emma finally got her voice back she simply thanked her mother and took down the contact information. She then immediately called Regina even though she knew she was currently at work.

Regina looked down at her phone as it vibrated on the desk. She had been sitting in the office working on some ILL requests when she noticed Emma calling her. She frowned down at the phone, knowing that it was probably something serious if Emma was choosing to call her now. She knew Regina's work schedule and tended to only text her during her lunch breaks. Therefore, Regina almost immediately stopped typing and answered the phone.

"Emma? Hey, are you alright?"

"Hey, Gina. I...don't know actually."

"What's wrong, dear?"

"Neal called my mom."

There was silence from both women as they took in Emma's statement. Regina was the first to speak again.

"Are you okay? What do you think he wants with you now after all these years?"

"I have no idea. I'm just...I'm still in shock to hear from him. I guess he called my mom because that's where he sent the car to and he probably figured that'd be the easiest and surest way to get into contact with me. But oh my god. I can't imagine what he'd want from me."

"Maybe something serious happened in his life and he finally wants to meet his son or something, I have no idea. Have you talked to him about any of this yet? Have you called him back? I'm guessing you have his contact info from your mom, right?"

"Yeah, I do," Emma replied in a still shocked and subdued voice. "I just don't know if I want to call him back to see what he wants. It's been like five years since I've heard anything from him, you know? I don't really know how to deal with this right now."

"I know, dear. And I'm so sorry you have to but if you want me there with you when you make the call, you know I'm more than willing to sit beside you and support you."

Emma exhaled in relief. "That sounds like a good plan. You're kind of the only one I'd want there with me. Ruby didn't really know me back then and I think it could be a little awkward if my mom were to sit in on the call with me, depending on what we could end up talking about."

"Yeah, that makes sense to me. So, when do you want to call him?"

"Tonight, maybe. Like after dinner sometime. I think I just want to get this over with as soon as possible."

"Okay. Let's do it then. I'll be right there with you the whole time, Em. It'll be okay. Whatever happens, I'm here for you. Alright?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Gina. I-" Emma stopped herself before she said the next two words. She didn't want to scare Regina too much by confessing her love for her so soon. She also figured that she'd rather do that in person than over a phone call that revolved around the sudden reappearance of the father of her child into her life.

In all of the planning for the evening, both women had forgotten that they had previously agreed to let Cora and Henry take the children to dinner and a movie that night. They figured they were both so on edge and stressed about Emma's phone call to Neal that they were distracted and had uncharacteristically let the plans they had made for their children completely slip their minds.

After Henry and Cora had picked the children up after work, the women decided to order some Chinese for dinner and still stick to calling Neal back afterward. Dinner was followed by some impromptu ice cream devouring, probably to settle their nerves. They then sat on the couch with Emma's phone on the coffee table on speaker and commenced calling Neal Cassidy. Regina holding Emma's hand for moral support, both women found themselves literally sitting on the edges of their seats as Emma put in the phone number from her mother and hit the call button.

"Hello?"

Emma recognized the voice as Neal's right away. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath to steady herself. "Neal? It's me. Emma."

"Oh, hey! I'm so glad you called me back. I hope it wasn't too weird that I called your mom asking for you..."

"Well, yeah it kinda was. I haven't heard anything from you since that night and before Henry was born. Oh my god, I don't know how I'm just realizing...this is about him isn't it?"

"Yes," Neal answered simply yet concisely. "It is. I don't mean to scare you or anything but I would like to meet my son if that's possible," he finished.

"Okay... But why now after all these years?" Emma asked in a shocked voice. She turned to look at Regina with wide eyes, her mouth agape. Regina put the hand that she was currently holding in both of her hands and gave it a squeeze as she gave Emma a small smile and shrugged her shoulders. She then nodded down to the phone signaling Emma to make sure she listened to Neal's response.

"Look I know you don't owe me anything. And we never really got to know each other that well after our one night together but...my father just died recently. And it hit me that I have a son out there who I've never met and I didn't want to him to go through life thinking that his father doesn't love him. I know how I handled the news of your pregnancy was weird to say the least but I've come to the realization that I don't want to go through my life knowing that I have a son and making zero effort to be a part of his life."

"Neal, what the fuck? Like what the actual fuck?!" Emma pulled her hand from Regina's supportive hold, snatched the phone off of the coffee table and proceeded to yell into it as she paced back in forth on the other side of it. "You come back after nearly five years of absolutely no contact besides that creepy gift of the Beetle asking to get to know my son. And yes, I said my son, not our son because you've never once asked after him since he was born. Before he was born, actually as soon as I found out that I was pregnant and that it was definitely yours, I tried to do the responsible thing and find you to let you know. But you obviously didn't want to be found, which what the fuck was THAT about, Neal!? I didn't expect anything from you. It was literally a mistake from a one-night stand. I didn't expect you to make me your wife or anything. I just thought you'd like to know that you'd have a little piece of you walking around on this planet. But no! You had dropped off the grid. I literally find people for a living and I couldn't even get close to finding you. Which by the way, what was the deal with that?! Why did you have to suddenly drop off the grid?! Again, WHAT THE FUCK, Neal?!"

Emma stood now facing Regina and waiting for a response, breathing heavily after going off on the father of her child. Regina then stood up and put her hand out to Emma. She mouthed, "Come sit down, Em" as she motioned for Emma to rejoin her on the couch. Emma acquiesced as she took a deep breath and plopped down in her spot on the couch. She leaned her head back against the back of the couch and rested the phone on her chest, shutting her eyes. Regina pulled her legs up under her as she turned to face Emma, again taking one of her hands between both of hers. Emma lifted her head and opened her eyes, turning towards Regina and giving her a small smile.

Neal finally responded. "I... I have no excuses to give you Emma. I can only say that I stayed away from you because at the time I was probably on a list of people that you could have brought in for a bounty. I had gotten mixed up in a sting involving some stolen watches that I had planned on fencing. I've been in prison for much of Henry's life. I just got out a few months ago and then my father got really sick. Like I said, he passed away recently. But I guess I was too embarrassed to contact you. And then once I got out I wanted to try to make something of myself before I asked you about meeting my son..."

"So you were in prison that whole time?" Regina had finally said something out loud. She immediately closed her lips tightly though after she realized that she had spoken.

"What? Who's that?"

"It's my girlfriend, Regina," Emma replied in an annoyed voice. She felt that Neal had no right to question her right now. "You're on speaker. She's been sitting her with me the whole time for moral support. Is that okay with you?" Emma spat at Neal.

"No, sure, yeah. I understand. It's a lot to take in alone. I know I'm probably asking for a lot and that sorry just won't cut it when it comes to most of it. But I was really hoping that you could find it in the kindness of your heart to forgive me and give me the opportunity to at least meet my son just once. I completely understand that you are his mother and I'm seriously not at all going to try to interfere with your life or try to take Henry away from you and it. I really just would like to get to know him. To get a chance to get to know him... If that's something that you would allow...?"

Emma put her head in her hands as she shook it in pure disbelief. Was this really happening? "I...can forgive you, Neal. I'm not one to hold grudges. If that were the case, I wouldn't have any semblance of a life right now with how I grew up and everything."

"I'm sorry. What does that mean exactly?"

"Emma was a foster kid for most of her childhood." Regina decided to step in and support her girlfriend.

"Oh. I'm sorry. That had to suck," Neal replied.

"Yeah it did but I was lucky enough to get adopted and it's all good now."

"Glad to hear it."

There was an awkward silence. Emma and Regina just sat staring at the phone now resting on Emma's thigh. Neal finally spoke again.

"So...what do think, Emma? Can I see my son?"

Emma exhaled before answering. "Sure. I don't see why not. Sorry for your loss by the way. Your dad. Was he sick or...?"

"Yes. He'd developed some heart issues about a year ago. And he just didn't make it out of the hospital this last time. It was hard. I still have my mom though. We've actually reconnected recently since my dad's death. They were divorced since I was a kid and we'd kind of lost touch."

"Well that's nice," Regina piped up again. She shrugged her shoulders and mouthed, "What?" when Emma gave her a look.

Emma grinned at Regina before saying, "So where are you living now? When would you like to try and meet Henry?"

"That's also a reason why I figured I should try to connect with you two. I've been living in Boston since I got out."

"Wait...what?!" both women said in unison.

Neal chuckled. "Yeah I came back here to live with my dad. He actually owns a little pawn shop that he left to me in his will."

"Wait, hold on! You've been in Boston for how long and you're only now trying to get into contact with me?! Not to be rude, but if your dad hadn't died would you even be trying to see Henry?"

Neal exhaled heavily before saying, "Actually, yes. It's all I've been thinking about for a while now. But like I said, I wanted to get myself back on my feet before I tried to reach out. I've been avoiding actually doing something about it, but I guess my dad passing did give me the motivation to. I know how that sounds but I honestly had planned on meeting my son before he turned five."

"Yeah, well... I guess you've achieved that goal. I just can't believe you were right there. I'm in the city for work all of the time. I know it's a big city but I'm kind of shocked I didn't run into you somehow."

"Well that's probably because I haven't really been doing anything but going into the shop and then going right home. There's a little grocery store in between his house and the shop so I didn't really need to go far from my home or work to survive," Neal chuckled.

"Well you do sound like you're doing well for yourself," Regina contributed.

"Thank you. Regina, was it?"

"Yes. Regina Mills. Could I ask you, what's the name of your father's pawn shop? Just out of curiosity."

"It's called Mr. Gold Pawnbroker and Antiquities Dealer. It's a tiny place. You've probably never heard of it."

"Actually I have!" Emma exclaimed. "I know exactly where that place is. It's across the street from this bar that my coworkers and I used to go to sometimes. I always wanted to go in there and check it out but it was closed at the time when we were at the bar."

"Yeah, I guess we would be," Neal chuckled in response.

Regina also laughed and shook her head at Emma.

"What?" she said to Regina. "I had a life before I met you."

"I'm sure you did, dear. I'll make sure to ask August all about it at the next Sunday dinner," Regina said with a smirk.

Neal cleared his throat on the line to get back to the subject at hand. "So you're living in Storybrooke, then?" he asked.

"Yes, I am."

"That's not that far from the city, right?"

"Nope. Not at all. So when would you like to meet Henry then?"

"How about this upcoming weekend? I'm free on Saturday if you are."

"Yeah that's fine. It'll give me some time to explain to him who you are and everything."

"Cool. So where would you like me to meet you?"

"How about at the park where you and I first met?" Regina said out of nowhere. "I'm so sorry...I don't even really know why I suggested that..."

Emma chuckled. "It's okay, Gina. Neal do you have a pen and paper?"

* * *

"Well that definitely could have gone worse, right?" Regina asked.

"I guess..." Emma was laying down on her back with her knees and legs laying across Regina's lap. "I'm just not sure how I'm going to explain this all to Henry now."

"What do you mean? He doesn't know that he has a father?" Regina asked in earnest.

"He understands that most kids have mommies and daddies but the fact that he has one too just sorta never came up. It's kind of like the whole mommy likes girls and boys situation. He's too young to really understand or need to know that. I figured it'd come up and we'd get to that eventually..."

"So you're saying he has no concept of who his father is really...?"

"Well it's not like he doesn't have any male role models in his life. He has August and Killian and David. Now he has your dad and Jefferson and Robin too. I mean, it's good that he has them for when he starts going through boy stuff that I have no idea about."

"Yeah, good point. Gay or hetero most boys do go through the same stuff when puberty hits them. So this may seem like a non-sequitur, or not, but I obviously have more of a traditional family unit. But it's always just been you and Ingrid? I mean as you pointed out, Henry now has a grandfather figure in his life in my dad. Did you ever have...?"

"A dad? No. Well not other than the one that gave me back to the orphanage. I guess I haven't told you this before because when would it ever really have come up, but Ingrid is bi like me. There were a few different men and women in her life that she dated from time to time. She didn't feel the need to hide it from me or anything. But it was never really something that we discussed in detail. I mean, I kind of figured that was one of the reasons why she took me in. She understood what I going through. She knew about why I was kicked out of some of my homes in the past, but she still gave me the boy/girl sex talk when she figured I might be having sex. She just sort of knew, you know?"

"Wow. Now I like your mom even more," Regina said with a laugh. "She's so awesome. What are the odds of a bisexual woman getting to adopt a bisexual child...?" Regina pondered.

"Well, Gina, as Shane from _The L Word_ put it, sexuality is fluid," Emma said with a smirk. "I mean, look at you. You kind of fell for a dude and had a kid with him and everything."

"So eloquently put," Regina said with a chuckle.

"Shut up," Emma responded as she sat up and hugged Regina into her pulling her down to lay next to her on the couch. Regina happily cuddled up to Emma's side wrapping her arm around her stomach and resting her head on her shoulder. She closed her eyes content to lay like that for a while.

"Gina?" Emma asked in a small voice.

"Hmmm?" Regina responded without opening her eyes.

"I love you."

Regina opened her eyes and looked up at Emma. "I love you too, Em."

Emma crooked her finger under Regina's chin as she bent her head down to kiss her soundly. Regina immediately deepened the kiss even further and rolled onto Emma so that her body was flush against her leaving no space between them. She ran her fingers through Emma's hair, a moan escaping her as Emma took advantage of the positioning and squeezed Regina's ass. Emma broke the kiss to pepper light kisses up and down both sides of Regina's neck.

"Mmmmm...I love your button up shirts," Emma said as she continued to lick and softly bite Regina's neck. "They're so sexy. Especially that one button you have that's always about to pop open."

Regina chuckled in between moans.

"And I absolutely love when you wear skirts instead of pants," Emma said.

"Why's that?" Regina asked breathlessly.

"Because they give me easy access," Emma said with a grin as she grabbed fistfuls of Regina's skirt and pulled it up leaving it bunched around Regina's waist and exposing her lacy thong. As soon as Emma felt skin instead of material she groaned. "Oh my god, could you be any hotter right now?"

"Actually I am pretty warm in some other places," Regina whispered into Emma ear before she sucked her lobe into her mouth and began to make her way down Emma's neck.

Emma made the motion to sit up and Regina instinctively wrapped her legs around the blonde's waist as she did. Emma went it to kiss the brunette and they ended up fervently kissing each other in that position for a while until Regina finally broke it to say softly into Emma's ear, "Would you like to take this upstairs?"

Emma's eyes darkened as she slowly nodded her head in the affirmative. "Okay, hang on."

Before Regina could even respond Emma stood up, gripping Regina under her thighs and proceeded to make her way over to the stairs. Regina giggled before finally saying something. "Are you okay, Em?" she asked as Emma carried her up the stairs.

"Mmhmm." Emma stopped to kiss Regina as they reached the top of the stairs and to reposition one arm around Regina's lower back. They slowly made their way down the hall to Regina's room.

Thank god Regina's bedroom door was already opened because Emma was pretty sure that she would probably have ended up dropping Regina if she had to attempt to open the door and continue holding her up as the same time. Regina felt her back lightly hit her bedroom door as Emma walked them across the threshold. As she stopped to reach back and close the door, she finally put Regina gently down. When she turned back around, she was met with the sight of her girlfriend slowly unbuttoning her shirt with a confident grin on her face. Regina motioned for Emma to come to her as she finished with the buttons but left her shirt hanging open exposing her black lacy bra. Emma quickly discarded her own shirt before grabbing Regina around the waist and giving her a fiery kiss. Regina snaked her arms around Emma's neck and enjoyed the game that they had begun to play of trying to dominate each other's mouths with their tongues.

As they continued this battle for dominance, Regina walked them back to her bed only stopping when she felt the back of her legs hit it. Emma released Regina's waist and pushed Regina's shirt off of her shoulders. Then she made quick work of Regina's bra as well. Regina broke their fervent kissing. "Why do you still have so many clothes on?" she asked breathlessly as she looked down at Emma's pants.

"I don't know. Do something about it," she said with a grin before pushing Regina back onto the bed and falling on top of her.

Regina reached between them to undo Emma's belt and then push down her skinny jeans. Without breaking their kisses and with the use of her feet Regina finally got Emma's pants all the way off.

"Good job, Gina," Emma said before removing her own bra. "Let me even up the score for you."

Both woman moaned into their kiss as their bare breasts made first contact. Emma decided to take control as she grabbed both of Regina's wrists in one hand and held them above her head as they continued kissing sensually. She began kneading Regina's breast with her free hand. As she rolled her nipple between her thumb and forefinger Regina turned her head away to moan loudly at the pleasurable pain. Emma moved back to licking and biting down Regina's now even more exposed neck. She let go of her hold on Regina's wrists as she started to kiss her way down to Regina's belly button, making sure to stop at each breast to slowly suck on and bite her hardened nipples. When she reached Regina's thong she bit and pulled the material towards herself with a grin. Regina looked down and smiled at girlfriend who was now teasing her.

"I think I'm gonna leave these on. You look so sexy with nothing but this on right now," Emma stated before she opened Regina's legs farther and dipped her head down between them using her fingers to move aside the tiny bit of material that was in her way. She took one long lick up Regina's sex until she hit her clit smiling as she heard Regina moan. She then felt the brunette woman grab the back of her head with both hands begging for her to go on. Emma didn't need to be told twice. She continued taking long slow licks up and down until Regina's legs started to visibly shake.

"Emma, I need more," Regina ground out in between her moans and groans.

Emma smiled as she reached up with one hand to massage a breast and put two fingers into Regina's entrance with her other one. Regina cried out when Emma then attached her lips to her clit and began to suck hard.

"Oh, fuck me! Yes, Emma! Right there!

Emma did that and more as she added another finger inside of Regina. That was when Regina lost it. She saw stars as she screamed Emma's name out from pure ecstasy. When Emma felt Regina tighten around her she slowed down so that Regina could ride out her orgasm. Soon she felt her collapse onto the bed. When she finally came up for air, Regina was panting laying with her eyes closed and her hands above her head, a content smile on her face.

When Regina felt Emma come to lay beside her and then drape one leg and arm lazily over her, she opened her eyes and turned toward the blonde. "That. Was. Amazing," she said in between kisses.

"I got you to say fuck," Emma singsonged in response.

Regina's low sultry laugh made Emma even wetter than she already was. "God I love your laugh. It's done things to me since I first heard it."

"And now, I'm going to do some other things to you," Regina said as she rolled onto Emma and kissed her deeply. "Hopefully they'll make you scream," she said as she kissed her way slowly down her girlfriend's body.

* * *

Regina woke with a start to her house phone ringing loudly in her room. She reached for it trying not to disturb a sleeping Emma too much. Emma was cuddled up on Regina's chest with her head and one hand resting there. One of her legs was wrapped snuggly around her waist.

Regina succeeded in reaching the phone without waking her and answered it groggily. "Hello?"

"Hi, dear. We tried calling both your and Emma's cell phones on our way to your house but we got voicemail for both of them."

"Oh hey, Mom. Yeah we're upstairs," Regina said without thinking about the consequences of what she had just said or who she was talking to.

Cora chuckled at Regina's candidness. "Okay dear, well we're standing outside of your door right now."

"You're what?!" Regina practically yelled as she shot straight up. "What time is it?"

"It's nearly 9 o'clock, dear. We took the children to the 7 o'clock movie remember? I guess you and Emma fell asleep after whatever you were doing upstairs," Cora said knowingly, trying not to laugh at her daughter's current predicament.

"Gina, what's going on?" Emma asked sleepily after being knocked off of Regina's chest.

Regina looked down at her girlfriend and couldn't help but to smile before she put her hand over the phone and answered her. "Apparently we fell asleep after our third round of lovemaking," she whispered, knowing her mother was probably straining to her what she was saying on the other end of the line.

"Oh my God, Gina, just say we were having sex," Emma groaned loudly. "And it was four by my count."

"Shhhhh! My mother's on the phone!" she said, holding the phone in front of Emma's face.

Emma finally caught on to what was happening and shot up on her forearms before frantically running her fingers through her hair and looking at Regina with wide eyes. "Oh shit, they have our kids and they're back from the movies already! What the hell time is it?!

"Um...my mom says it's 9 o'clock," Regina responded as she winced and put the phone back to her ear. Immediately she could hear her father laughing in the background as Cora laughed into the phone and said, "It's okay, Gina. We can take them back to our house for a little bit while you two freshen up. Would you like to come pick them up or would you rather call us when you're ready and we can just bring them back around?" Cora asked with a chuckle.

"Can you take them to your house please? Thanks, Mom," Regina exhaled. "We really owe you one."

"It's fine, dear. Take as long as you need."

"Alright. Well we'll call you soon and let you know if we're coming to pick them up or not, okay?"

"Okay. Don't let us get in the way of time number five," Cora said as a goodbye.

Regina stared slack-jawed at the phone in her hand after her mother hung up.

"What?! What happened?" Emma asked frantically.

"She heard what you said about the number of times we did it," she said, giving Emma an annoyed look.

"What, you mean made love?" Emma asked with a smirk.

Regina turned to put the phone back in its base and then threw a pillow right into Emma's face.


	19. Chapter 19

Emma thought her streak of bad luck had ended with randomly hearing from Neal after almost five years. Everything surrounding Henry meeting his father for the first time had gone well enough. When she had gone to initially try to explain who Neal was to Henry, her son had no issues at all understanding. Apparently a lot of the other people in Henry's life had talked to him about the fact that he had a dad out there and even the possibility of meeting him someday. Essentially, Emma's and Henry's loved ones had done Emma's job for her in that case.

The actual meeting between Neal and Henry went well too. They ended up playing together a lot and talking a little bit too. Henry was glad to have met his father and Neal was super grateful to have gotten the chance to know his son. He and Emma had made tentative plans for the three of them to meet up again sometime soon.

But as it turned out she was, in fact, wrong about that third bad thing happening. Emma was in Boston just finishing up a job when she decided to stop by Jane and Maura's precinct to say hi. She wanted to see Angela and the guys and she was also curious to see what Maura's ring looked like. Never in a million years did she expect to run into the only person who had ever broken her heart.

Emma noticed Lilith Page, or Lily as everyone called her, sitting in the lobby of the precinct as she walked up to the café to say hello to Angela. She did a double take and stopped in her tracks. Lily happened to look up just as Emma was standing there completely dumbfounded and speechless. She stood up with a smile on her face and walked over to Emma to give her a quick hug hello.

"Oh my gosh, hi Emma!" Lily said as she released her.

Emma took another step back with an expression of pure shock on her face. "Uh...hey...Lily."

"Emma! Is that you?!"

Emma turned to see Angela Rizzoli quickly walking towards her with a huge smile on her face. Once she reached Emma, she gave her a tight hug ending with a loud, wet kiss to her cheek. "Let me get a good look at you, honey! It's been ages! How are you!? I heard you've got a new woman in your life and she's a keeper!" Angela said with an even bigger smile on her face.

"Oh my God, Ma! Leave her alone. She probably came to see Maur and me anyway. You're suffocating her," Jane said as she exited the elevator with Maura in tow.

"Hi, Emma," Maura said. "Why do you look so pale?"

"Yeah, Em, you look like you've seen a ghost. Are you okay?" Jane asked.

"They do have a point there," Angela added. "What's wrong, honey?"

Lily took a step closer to everyone and said, "It might have something to do with me actually..."

"Lily?!" Maura and Jane said in unison.

"What? I don't understand. Who's Lily?" Angela asked, clearly out of the loop.

"She's the only person who's ever broken Emma's heart," Maura stated matter-of-factly.

"Really?!" "Maura!" Angela, Jane and Emma all said at once.

Lily looked down at her feet. "I'm sorry, Emma. I didn't know that," she said in a soft, low voice.

"It's okay," Emma said, stepping towards her. "You couldn't have known that. Hell, I didn't even know for a while after you left me. These two had to point it out to me," she said, throwing her thumb over her shoulder in Jane and Maura's general direction.

"Oh. Okay," Lily replied.

"Hey...uh. Would you like to get a cup a coffee and talk a little bit? I mean, I see you already have one but maybe I could grab one and join you...?" Emma asked hesitantly.

"Sure," Lily said as she exhaled in relief.

"On that note, I should probably get back to work then," Angela said as she took Emma's hand and gave it a loving squeeze before she walked back behind the counter.

"Yeah, we just came down here to grab a quick pick-me-up before getting back to work. Em, why don't I get yours and bring it to your and Lily's table, huh?"

"Sure. That'd be awesome. Thanks, Jane."

"You can come down and see my ring when you're done talking with Lily. Okay, Emma?"

"Yeah, sure, Maura," Emma chuckled. "There's an open table right over there," Emma turned and suggested to Lily.

"Okay," she responded with a small smile. "Let's go," she said as she went back to where she had been sitting before to grab her things.

"I'll bring your coffee over to that table then, Em," Jane stated.

"Yeah, that's perfect, Jane. Thanks," Emma said with a grateful smile as she followed Lily to the unoccupied table that she had suggested.

* * *

"Sooo... What are you doing back in town?" Emma asked, breaking the ice first. "Last I heard, you had joined your mom in Europe doing something with animals or...?"

"Yes. My birth mother actually found me when we were in college and soon after graduation offered me a job in her company. They're based out of London. So I ended up moving there to work and get to know her better."

"Well that's cool. I had wondered what you were going to do with that degree in Large Animal Veterinary Medicine," Emma chuckled.

"I always had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do. Unlike you, with your Business major and English Lit minor. What'd you end up doing with that anyway?" Lily asked as she took a sip of her latte.

"Absolutely nothing. I fell into bounty hunting and I'm still doing that now," Emma replied.

"Really? That's interesting. So do you still live here in the city?"

"No, I actually live in a small suburb about a half hour outside of it. Storybrooke. Don't know if you've ever heard of it...?"

"No way! That's why I'm here. My mom is buying some stables out near there."

"What?! My world is getting smaller and smaller, I swear."

"What's that supposed to mean exactly?" Lily chuckled.

"Well my girlfriend and I met through our children who go to the same school and she's a Reference Librarian who works at the library in our town that Henry and I frequented for their children's programs but we had somehow never crossed paths. My best friend, Ruby is now dating Regina's coworker and the library's children's and teen librarian, Belle. Oh and one of my other best friends and former foster brother, August, is now engaged to Regina's younger brother, Jefferson."

"Wow," Lily chuckled. "That's kind of a lot of information to take in. But wait...you have a kid now? How old is he? And your girlfriend has one too...?

"Yeah. My son, Henry." Emma took her phone out of her back pocket to show Lily some pictures of him. "He's four now. And this is Lucy. His best friend." Emma showed her the picture she took of Lucy and Henry in their aprons.

"Oh my goodness. They are so adorable!" Lily practically squealed. "So how long have you been together with...I'm sorry have you said her name yet?"

"Regina," Emma said with a smile on her face as she thought about the woman that she loved.

"I'm assuming you have a picture of her on your phone," Lily said with a grin.

"Yup! Here she is."

"Wow! Emma, she is gorgeous! Congrats!"

Emma laughed. "Thanks? I guess...? Believe me, I know how hot she is. Yet everyone always feels the need to tell me though and then congratulate me."

"Well she's easily one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. Like in real life and not on a movie screen or something. But that's awesome. It sounds like you have a pretty sweet life."

"Yes. I do. Thanks. So what were you doing here at the precinct anyway?"

"Oh my mom's car got stolen a few blocks from here. Can you believe that?"

"That's some bad luck. Sorry. I'm guessing you were with her when it happened."

"Yup. She just went up to fill out a report and whatnot and I decided to wait for her in the lobby. And then I bumped into you! Or more accurately I noticed you staring at me like you'd seen a ghost," Lily said as she winked at Emma.

"Well what do you expect? I hadn't seen or heard from you since right before you graduated and decided to end things with a text."

"Yeah...I'm sorry about that Emma. I know now what a shitty thing that was to do. I had no idea that you felt so strongly about me that I ended up breaking your heart though," Lily said as she looked down at the coffee cup.

"Hey," Emma said, placing a hand lightly on Lily's wrist. "You were the first person I really fell for yeah, but you didn't deceive me into thinking that we were anything more than what we were, you know? I understand that now. But were you the first girl I had serious feelings for? Yes. Don't feel guilty that you obviously didn't feel the same way about me."

"But I feel like I led you on in some way. And then wasn't able to give you what you wanted from me."

"Hey, Lily, no. Not every relationship has people in it that love each other equally. We both know that now as actual adults. Believe me, you have absolutely nothing to feel bad about, okay? If there's any forgiveness to be given, you have it from me. At least you know how you broke it off with me with a pretty shitty thing to do," Emma chuckled as she withdrew her hand from Lily's wrist.

The two women continued laughing about this as they were eventually joined by Lily's mother, Maleficent. Brief introductions were made and Emma and Lily exchanged numbers and agreed to keep in touch and to possibly meet up while the mother and daughter were still in Storybrooke.

Making her way home, Emma thought about the recent events in her life. The three bad things that had happened to her weren't the worst things after all. Her son was not going to get the chicken pox again now. All of the drama with Neal had actually ended in her confessing her love to Regina and them making love for the first time. And she had finally gotten closure with the woman who had broken her heart.

Life was going pretty well for Emma Swan. As she drove back to Storybrooke, she couldn't help smiling at the direction that her life looked to be going in.

* * *

It was Friday morning as Emma walked confidently into Nolan's 24/7 Bail Bonds office with a grin on her face. "Good morning, everyone," she greeted happily.

"Hi, Emma!" Mary Margaret responded with a smile and wave. "Have a seat. David's just in the back grabbing some files."

"Okay," Emma replied. She plopped down into one of the seats in the small lobby and put her feet up on the table before leaning down to grab a magazine off of it. "Were Killian or August in already?"

"No, they're both still currently working on some jobs from a few days ago. They should be wrapping them up by today or tomorrow though, as I understand it. How's everything going with you? I hear you have a new woman in your life who you're pretty serious about. Oh and August is engaged!"

Emma chuckled at Mary Margaret's excitement. "Yeah, we haven't really had a chance to talk much lately, huh?" Emma said as she stood up and dropped the magazine back onto the small table. She walked over to Mary Margaret's desk and took one of the chairs sitting in front of it facing her. "Yes, I do have a new woman in my life. Her name's Regina. Actually, she told me that she went to high school with David."

"Oh my goodness! _That_ Regina!? Zelena's little sister?"

Emma laughed. "I've never heard her referred to as that but yeah, that's her."

"Wow. So how'd you ladies meet?"

"Through our kids actually. The two became best friends in Pre-K. Luce, that's Regina'a daughter, talked her into coming to a playground that me and Henry were at. I introduced myself to Regina, we set up a playdate for them and the rest is history now, I guess."

"Wow, again. That's amazing! What does Regina do now?"

"Oh, she's a librarian in Storybrooke."

"Wait, aren't you and Ruby always taking Henry to those children's programs there? How had you never met Regina before that time in the playground?"

"I have no idea. Our paths just never crossed somehow. But you do know that Ruby is dating Belle, Storybrooke's children's librarian right?"

"Nooo! How did I not know this?!" Mary Margaret practically screamed.

"I don't know, MM," Emma chuckled. "Can you believe that August is getting married though?"

"I can actually. He's such a sweetie and so handsome too."

"Not as handsome as you husband thought, right?" David asked as he walked into the main room from the back office. He walked over to Mary Margaret's desk placing a kiss on top of her head before leaning over her desk to hand Emma a thin file.

"No one is as handsome as my husband," Mary Margaret said as she turned her head up towards David for another kiss.

"Jeez, guys, be a little bit more professional," Emma said with a dramatic and fake roll of her eyes. "This seems like an easy case," she then said as she looked over the file that David had just handed her.

"Yeah it should be a simple one. Kid got picked up for drunken and disorderly and it looks like he just forgot to turn up in court for his final sentencing after he was initially bailed out. He's in your neck of the woods in Storybrooke."

"Yeah and it looks like he's in the nice part of town too. Probably just skipped it figuring mommy and daddy would take care of all of his court stuff and he'd just get fines or community service or something. Thanks for this one," Emma said as she stood up. "It'll keep my weekend free," she said with a smile.

"I hear you've been spending most of your free time with your new girl," David said with a grin.

"Well you hear correctly, boss. Ask your wife and she'll tell you all about her," Emma said with a wink as she turned and walked away from the desk.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she heard David ask as she walked towards the front door.

"Guess who Emma is going out with?"

"I don't know, honey. Just tell me," David replied in an exasperated voice.

"Regina Mills!"

"No! Are you serious right now?!"

"Yeah I am!"

"Zelena's little sister?! That Regina? Wow, I wonder if she's as hot as she was in high school..." David wondered out loud.

"I'm sorry. Did you have a thing for her or something...?"

That was the last part of the conversation Emma heard before she walked out of the building with a grin and a prayer for David.

* * *

As it turned out, the young man that Emma was after was actually a college student who still used his parents' address. He attended her alma mater. She figured this would make finding him even more of a piece of cake. After flirting with the woman behind the desk in the Registrar's Office to get her skip's schedule, she waited for him to come out of his class on a bench right outside of the English and Foreign Languages building. Emma remembered sitting on this bench many times either before or after class and just enjoying the atmosphere and people watching. She zipped up her jacket when a strong wind hit her. Sometimes she actually did regret wearing her favorite red leather jacket as it didn't offer her too much defense against the New England cold.

Emma stood up from her bench as soon as her mark exited the building. She decided to follow him for a little bit and grab him more away from campus and save him some embarrassment. As the kid, Peter, made his way down a narrow alley, Emma finally made her move. She got his attention as she called out to him from behind and identified herself. He turned to face her and put his hands up in the air as he took his bookbag off and set it against the alleyway wall. As she walked closer to him, he bent down again for something that Emma couldn't readily identify. The last thing she remembered was putting up her arms to defend herself against a long object that the kid swung at her head.

* * *

Emma slowly opened her eyes and turned her head towards the beeping sound near her head. As she woke up more, she recognized her surroundings and quickly realized that she was laying in a hospital bed. Before she could say anything, she saw Regina shoot up from her chair and rush over to the bed. She took one of Emma's hands in both of hers as a look of relief crossed her face. "Emma, you're going to be okay," Regina said as she ran her hands up and down Emma's arm.

Emma closed her eyes at the soothing motion and reopened them as she asked, "What happened?" in a surprisingly raspy voice.

Regina let go of Emma's arm to get her a cup of water from the side table. As she handed it to her, Emma sat up to take the cup and took a hardy drink of the cool liquid.

"The nurse said a student found you passed out in an alleyway near Boston University. I'm guessing you were working in the area...?"

"Mmmm...yeah. I was following this kid after he got out of class. It was supposed to be an easy job. But apparently he got the jump on me," Emma stated nonchalantly as she set the empty cup back onto the side table.

"Emma. The doctors and nurses concluded from your injuries and what the student told the paramedics who brought you in that you were hit on the head with a 2 by 4 and knocked out."

"Huh. Well that sucks. But I'm okay now. Just a little pissed that I'm now probably going to have to work tomorrow," she said with a frustrated huff.

Regina couldn't believe what she was hearing and was just about to say so but just then a nurse walked in to check on Emma's status. Seeing that Emma was awake, she proceeded to take her vitals as she told her about her injuries and how they think that she'd sustained them. She offered her the option to get a CT scan to make sure there wasn't any further damage, but Emma turned her down stating that she felt fine now that she was awake.

As soon as the nurse left the room Regina lit into Emma. "Emma do you remember anything that happened between that boy attacking you and waking up a few minutes ago?!"

"No. But they said I'm good to go. It's just a minor concussion, Gina. I'll be alright. Trust me. I've gotten worse at some of the foster homes I was in," Emma said as she threw her legs over the side of the bed to stand up.

"Emma, how can you be so matter-of-fact about all of this? You could have been seriously hurt. Let alone the fact that something else could have happened to you while you were unconscious. You got really lucky. You know that, right?! How are you standing there right now dismissing what happened to you?"

Emma stopped putting her pants on and walked over to Regina who was still standing on the other side of the bed with a look of anger and shock on her face. She took her hands gently into hers, holding them between them as she said, "Gina. It's just a part of the job. Like I've told you many times before, it rarely if ever happens that I get hurt. I'm too-"

"Smart, fast and strong," Regina finished for her. "I know, Em. And I believe you whenever you say that but like I always say, it only takes one stupid person with a gun or apparently a college kid with a random piece of wood he picks up in an alleyway to take you away from me." Regina looked down and she had tears in her eyes when she looked back up to Emma. "You're so lucky that he ran away after he hit you. What if-" she sniffled not able to continue her thought out loud.

Emma immediately took Regina into her arms. With one hand on her head and the other wrapped around her back she kissed Regina's forehead as she cried into her chest. "Hey, no. It's okay, Gina. Nothing like that would ever happen to me. And I promise I'll be way more careful than I was today, okay? Believe me, I know how lucky I was. And how lucky I am to be fortunate enough to have people in my life who care for my wellbeing. I know how stupid I was today but it was just a mistake."

"Well I don't accept that. And you shouldn't either," Regina said as she lifted her head from Emma's chest and pushed her away from her. She turned to grab her purse from beside the chair she had been sitting in and quickly walked out of the door without a glance back at her girlfriend, leaving Emma standing there in shock with her arms outstretched toward the woman that she loved.

* * *

Emma had decided to give Regina a few days to cool off by not trying to contact her. This meant missing the Mills' Sunday dinner which was really hard to explain to Henry. She let her son spend Sunday with her mother while she sat and wallowed in her recliner watching tv movies all day and vegging out. Luckily, she had Ruby with her to pass the time.

"Well at least you caught that kid pretty easily yesterday, right?" Ruby said as she threw a chip in Emma's direction.

"Uh huh." Emma let the chip land on her chest but made no effort to move or eat it.

"It'll be okay, Em. Regina was just worried about you. And rightly so. Dude you're so lucky that kid wasn't like a rapist or something."

"Well, if you must know, Rubes. If his jacket had said that he was any sort of violent I wouldn't have gone after him by myself. I know how to do my job efficiently. Thanks for the vote of confidence in my abilities though," Emma said she picked up the chip and chucked it back at Ruby's head.

Ruby somehow managed to turn her head just in time to catch it in her mouth. She smiled smugly as she chewed on it for an unnecessary amount of time before finally swallowing it. "I'm just saying, I see where Regina is coming from. You could've ended up being a victim on a real-life episode of SVU, dude."

"Shut up," Emma said under her breath. She knew that both women cared for her immensely but her pride wouldn't let her admit that she was wrong.

"Hey why don't you just do what August is doing and join the Storybrooke Sheriff force?" Ruby asked as a joke.

"Wait, what? What are you talking about?" Emma sat up more in her chair as she turned to look at Ruby.

"Seriously, he didn't tell you? He's giving up his job as a bounty hunter and joining the Sheriff's office for Jeff. It's actually the same situation that you and Regina are in from what I hear. Jeff doesn't want August doing that stupid, dangerous job anymore and he pretty much gave him an ultimatum before they get married. August told me Jeff straight up told him that he wouldn't marry him unless he gave up the job," Ruby said as she popped another chip into her mouth.

"I don't know what's more unbelievable. That fact that Jeff would do that or that this is the first time I'm hearing this information. How'd you find this out?"

"I ran into him coming out of the Sheriff's office the other day and I asked him if he was in there for something about work and it kind of just came spilling out. I don't think he had intended to tell anyone about it yet. But you know how horrible of a liar August is."

"Yeah, it's one of the things that I love best about him actually. So, he's giving up being a bounty hunter to what? Be a Sheriff's deputy or something?"

"Yup. Something like that. He said he's taking the test on Monday. And if he passes he'll start his training almost right away."

"That makes sense to me though. He wouldn't choose his job over Jeff. He pretty much fell into it like I did."

"Then why don't you do what he's doing and give it up for the woman you're probably gonna marry someday. I mean, you always wanted to go into the police force. You just didn't want to go to the Academy or something like that, right?"

"Yeah. Something like that..." Emma trailed off as she sat back into her recliner. Ruby had gone back to actively watching whatever crappy tv movie was on. Emma didn't pay it any attention though as she ruminated over what Ruby had suggested.

* * *

By the third day, Regina was finally considering calling Emma to forgive her for her irresponsible actions. Emma and Henry's absence at family dinner was noticeable to say the least. But her family saw how affected Regina was. She wasn't at all her usual self. And so they didn't pester her about why Emma and Henry were not there. Even Cora didn't bother asking anything further of her daughter when Lucy and Regina walked in without the other members of their new makeshift family. Regina had ended up isolating herself in her old room for most of the afternoon before she left with Luce right after dinner.

Regina decided to wait until after work to call Emma. That's why she was completely shocked when Emma knocked on the door of the library's very small staff breakroom. Regina looked up from the book she was reading while she ate her lunch and stopped mid-chew when she saw who had knocked.

"Hey," Emma said shyly as she walked slowly into the room.

"Hey," Regina responded after a few seconds. She finished chewing and put her sandwich down, closing her book as she stood up.

Emma took her hands out of her pockets and a hesitant step towards the table Regina stood beside. "I hope it's okay. Me showing up here like this."

"No. I mean, yes. I'm glad you're here, Em. I was actually going to call when I was done work."

"Oh. Really? That's great! Well...what were you going to say?"

"I was going to tell you that I forgive you. I'm sorry that I reacted, or more like overreacted, to what happened to you. You were just doing your job and-"

"Actually, you were right, Gina. I understand why you reacted the way that you did. My job was unnecessarily dangerous at times. I don't know how I was so comfortable with that before but-"

"Wait. Emma, did you just say was? Your job _was_ dangerous...?" Regina said as she took a step towards Emma, closing the space between them. She instinctively grabbed the lapels of Emma's leather jacket pulling the blonde even closer. Emma put her hands on Regina's hips and smiled softly down at her.

"Yes. I took some advice from a friend and I chose my woman over my job." Emma leaned down to kiss Regina for a little bit longer than she intended to originally. She wrapped her arms around the brunette tightly lifting her up a little onto her toes. Regina had wrapped her arms around Emma's neck as she kissed her back.

The two women stopped their kiss when they heard someone clear their throat from the doorway. Katherine stood leaning against the archway with a smirk on her face, her arms crossed over her chest. "That's not very professional of you, Gina," she said as she uncrossed her arms and walked to get something out of the refrigerator.

Regina grinned still standing with her arms around Emma's neck in her tight embrace. "Well I'm on my break, Kat. So..." Regina said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Katherine laughed as she leaned over to retrieve her lunch. "It's cool. I'm just glad you two finally made up. You were sulking all day out there."

"No I wasn't! And it's only been three days since we fought."

"Whatever. I'm going to go eat this in my office so you two can finish making up in peace," Katherine said as she closed the refrigerator door and walked out of the room. "Hey, Emma," she said with a smirk as she walked passed them.

"Hey, Kat," Emma chuckled. As she turned her head to watch her girlfriend's boss and best friend leave the breakroom Regina chuckled and put her head down on Emma's shoulder.

"She's going to hold this one over my head for a while," Regina said as she lifted her head and looked into Emma's eyes. "I know it."

"Yeah, I wouldn't put that past her. So aren't you going to ask me what my new chosen career is now that I've given up being a bounty hunter?"

"Let me guess. You're going to join the Storybrooke Sheriff's Department?" Regina said with a knowing grin.

Emma loosened her hold on her girlfriend but kept her arms wrapped around her lower back. "How the hell did you guess that?! I literally just decided to do it yesterday. And I only told Ruby."

"Well I guess Ruby immediately told August who then pretty much announced it at dinner yesterday along with his news. Jeff was so proud of him. It just made me miss you more," Regina said as she looked down with a frown.

"I'm here now, Gina," Emma replied as she gave Regina a short kiss. "I missed you too."

Regina released her hold on Emma and Emma immediately did the same. Regina then took her hand and led her over to the table to sit down. They continued to hold hands as they sat and looked into each other's eyes. Emma was the first to break their eye contact. "So I spent my morning letting David and Mary Margaret know that I wouldn't be taking on any more jobs from them in the future. They were really cool about it. And then I headed right over to the Sheriff's Office and spoke to Sheriff Humbert."

"Who's-Oh, you mean Graham. Kat had such a huge crush on him in school."

"Good God, woman, how big was your high school?!"

Regina chuckled, "Not as big as you think, I swear. So, you and August are going to be deputies then?"

"Yup. That's the plan. I always kind of wanted to be an officer of the law."

"I never knew that about you."

"Yeah...well, you don't know everything about me, Ms. Mills," Emma said with a sly grin.

"I know enough, Ms. Swan," Regina replied with her own grin as she leaned forward across the table to kiss Emma again.

"Man, you two are still here?!" Katherine said as she walked in and headed over to the fridge again. The two mothers broke apart at the sound of her voice both trying to hide their blushing faces. "Regina, why don't you take the rest of the day off and I'll cover for you. So you two can make up properly and I can stop witnessing your love in my breakroom."

"Kat, are you sure?" Regina asked genuinely confused.

"Yes. I'm tired of sitting in the office pretending like I'm doing something and it's good for the community to see its director on the front lines every now and then. It'll be fun actually serving the patrons and not our board of directors."

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Regina replied as she stood up and quickly led Emma out of the room.

"Gina, you forgot you lunch!" Katherine called after them. "And your book!"

"Yeah, can you clean that up for me?! Thanks!" Regina called back over her shoulder as she made her way to the back office to get her things.

"Wow, you know it must be serious if Regina Mills leaves a book behind without a care," Katherine muttered to herself as she made to clean up and put away the rest of Regina's abandoned lunch. "Hmmm...maybe I should let her start that Liane Moriarty Book Club she's been asking me about lately..." she said as she picked up Regina's book and became intrigued after reading the summary inside the book's jacket cover.

* * *

Regina laid on Emma's side with her head on her shoulder and her arm resting on her bare stomach. She suddenly felt a chill and since she was naked she shivered. When Emma felt this, she reached down and pulled her covers up on top of them. She sighed contently as Regina threw her leg over one of Emma's and snuggled up to her more placing a light kiss to her jaw. "So... I finally got to see your bedroom," she said softly with a grin.

"I'm not gonna lie, I can't believe this is the first time that we're doing it here," Emma replied as she kissed Regina's head.

"Well we do spend most of our time at my house, so it's understandable, I guess. Hey what time is it?"

"Almost time for us to pick up our children, it looks like," Emma said as she put her phone back onto her nightstand. "I don't wanna get out of bed," she whined as she wrapped her other arm around Regina and hugged her into her body more.

"I know, Em. But we have to," Regina said as she rolled onto Emma fully. Emma moaned as their naked bodies lined up.

"I don't think you being on top of me right now is going to at all motivate me to get out of this bed," Emma said with a smile as she leaned up to kiss the brunette.

"We've still got a little time before we have to get dressed," Regina said after she pulled back from the kiss. "So stop complaining and make better use of it." She kissed Emma fiercely before she could even respond. Emma smiled into the kiss and grabbed Regina's ass as she relented to her girlfriend's wanted advances.


	20. Chapter 20

Emma and Regina sat in what was now their usual spots on Regina's couch. Emma sat with her left arm around Regina's lower back as Regina leaned comfortably into Emma's side. When Emma yawned and went to put her feet up on the coffee table, Regina sat forward and gave her a pointed look. "How long have we been together now?" she asked Emma.

Emma sat forward too before she could rest her feet on the coffee table. "Uh...about six or seven weeks now...?"

"And what about me makes you think that what you were about to do is at all acceptable or something that I would gladly allow?" Regina asked with a lift of her eyebrows.

Emma chuckled as she looked down and away from Regina's glare. "Sorry, babe. I guess I'm just more tired than I thought. I'm still getting used to these new shifts at work."

"It's okay, dear. I understand. Do you think you can get a little time off for your birthday coming up?" Regina asked as she sat back against the couch putting Emma's arm back around her.

"Yeah, probably. But why? You got something special planned?" Emma asked as she gave Regina a sidelong glance.

"Yes. I would like to take you on a mini vacation if that's okay with you," Regina responded matter-of-factly, looking at the tv and not Emma.

"Really!? Where?" Emma asked excitedly. When Regina continued to ignore her, she tickled her with the hand that was wrapped around her waist. Regina giggled and tried to push Emma away to no avail. Emma then used both hands to tickle her girlfriend. She liked hearing the girlish laughter coming from Regina right now.

"Okay, okay! Stop and I'll tell you," Regina managed to get out through her fits of laughter.

Emma did as requested. But only because she was super curious to know where Regina was going to take her.

"So where are you whisking me off to?" Emma chuckled.

"It's not that far away from here but will be a getaway of sorts."

"What does that mean...?"

"So remember how I told you that I did equestrian when I was younger?"

"Yeah..."

"Well the stables that I used to train and compete at closed a while ago but apparently they're reopening under new management. It's a bit of a drive from here so my parents bought a little cottage up there for us to stay at so we wouldn't have to make the long drive back and forth on the weekends that I competed. It's still up there and no one's used it in a while but it's a really nice area and I thought you'd enjoy the change in scenery. So, what do think?"

"I think that sounds awesome! I've only been camping like once in my whole life actually. It sounds like fun!"

Regina chuckled. "Well we won't exactly be camping dear, but there are a lot of woods around if you'd like to go hiking. I was hoping that I could show you the stables and maybe even get you onto a horse?"

"Hmmm...maybe. They're such big animals. They actually kind of scare me," Emma said with some hesitance.

"It's okay, love. I understand how scary they can be if you're not used to them. But you don't have to worry. I'll be with you the whole time. I really want to share this part of my past with you," Regina said, turning towards Emma and taking her hands.

Emma smiled as she looked into Regina's eyes. "How'd I get so lucky?"

Just then Henry and Lucy came bounding down the stairs and ran over to the couch to jump into their respective mothers' arms. Regina laughed, "I think the answers to that question are right here, dear."

* * *

Regina had planned a four-day weekend starting on Thursday to celebrate Emma's birthday that was actually on Monday. Each of their children was left with their grandparents for the weekend, an arrangement that made all parties immensely happy. The two mothers figured that was mostly because their children knew how their respective grandparents spoiled them and that they could get away with a lot more with them.

They left Wednesday night for the two-hour journey to Regina's family's cottage. "Wait, so are we still in Storybrooke somehow?" Emma asked as they passed a large billboard advertising the grand re-opening of the Storybrooke Stables.

"No, dear," Regina chuckled. "They're just called that because the previous owners were from our town. I'm guessing the new owners just decided to keep the name intact for recognition purposes."

"Hmmm. Seems like a pretty good business decision to me. Hey you know what I just realized? Those are probably the stables that Lily said her mother was buying..." Emma said as she faded away toward the end of her sentence.

"What? Emma...when did you talk to Lily?"

Emma ducked her head and squinted as she turned toward Regina to give her an answer.

"Well...actually I kind of ran into her a little while ago in Boston."

"And in all of the time that we've spent together lately, you've somehow managed to not tell me this or feel like you've needed to bring it up for some reason...?"

"I guess it just sorta slipped my mind. Sorry, Gina. Please don't think that I was trying to hide anything from you."

"It's okay, Em," Regina chuckled. "I know you didn't do it with malicious intent but you've only mentioned Lily in passing. You've never really told me any details about your relationship with her. How'd you run into her again recently?"

"Well, I was in the city and I had just finished a job. I happened to be near the precinct where Maura and Jane work. So I went in to say hello, check out Maur's ring and say hi to Jane's mom who I hadn't seen in forever."

"Oh, yeah, I remember Jane saying that her mother worked at the café in their building, right?"

"Yeah. So I'm walking to the café counter after spotting Mama Rizzoli and who do I see sitting in the lobby but no other than Lilith Page."

"I'm sorry, who?"

"Lily. Keep up, Gina."

"Sorry, I didn't know her full name before now. Anyway, so what happened then?"

"Well I stopped in my tracks as soon as I recognized her and kind of just stood there looking stupidly at her."

"I can see you doing that," Regina said with a smirk.

"Anyway," Emma huffed, continuing with her retelling of the story. "So just then Mama Rizzoli spots me and comes running over to give me a hug and a few seconds later Jane and Maura walk out of the elevator. Jane immediately notices that I look like I've seen a ghost. That's when she and Maura notice that Lily's standing right there. Angela's straight up looking confused because she's out of the loop of what's going on..."

"I don't understand, dear. What _was_ going on? Why was you seeing one of your exes such a big deal?" Regina asked as she turned onto the gravel driveway that lead to the cottage.

"Well..." Emma exhaled deeply as Regina put the car in park in front of the small house. She turned in her seat to give Emma her full attention.

"I've never told you this. Maybe because I'm kind of embarrassed about it, I don't know," Emma said, looking out of her window. "But Lily was the first, and only for that matter, person that I've ever fallen in love with." Emma turned to finally face Regina as she finished her sentence. "Before you."

"Oh," was all that Regina could manage to say at that moment.

"Yeah... So you can imagine that seeing her after all those years would be a shock to me, let alone more than a little bit awkward."

"But that's what I don't understand, Em. Why was it awkward? Did you have a bad breakup...?"

"You could certainly say that," Emma chuckled. "I think that most people would agree that's it pretty shitty to break up with someone that you're in a serious relationship with via text."

"Are you serious?!" Regina responded. "She broke your heart and she did it with a text?"

"Yup. And thanks for assuming that I would never do anything like that to someone, Gina," Emma said with a smirk.

Regina took Emma's hands in her own. "Of course not, love. Why would you ever choose to abandon a relationship in that way? I know you better than that and I'd like to think that I have a pretty good idea of who a younger Emma Swan was," Regina said as she lifted one of Emma's hands up to kiss it. "When did all of this happen anyway? Were you in college?"

"Yeah. We went to the same school. That's how we met actually. We had a few classes together and we just ended up sitting together and talking after them sometimes. We got closer and closer until she finally asked me out on a date, and the rest is, as they say, history."

Regina nodded in understanding.

"But that's the thing, Gina," Emma continued. "Although she asked me out first, I was more in love with her than she was with me. I mean, it wasn't like a fling or something in her eyes but when she broke up with me, she broke my heart. Thank God I had Jane and Maura there to help me pick up the pieces. They're actually the ones that made me realize that was why I was so miserable about Lily leaving me. It's actually kind of ironic that they were there when we ran into each other again."

"Yeah, what are the odds of that happening? Why was Lily there anyway? In the precinct."

"She said her mother's car was stolen not too far away from there and that she was just sitting in the lobby waiting for her while she filled out some police reports."

"So I'm guessing you two got to sit down and sort some things out then...?"

"Yeah. Jane was good enough to buy me a cup of coffee. Lily already had a latte. And we just sat at a table and talked about some stuff. You came up of course," Emma said with a smile.

"Of course I would, dear. Did you tell her that I'm the actual love of your life?" Regina said with a confident grin.

"I don't know what about this relationship would make you assume that," Emma said sarcastically.

Regina laughed. "Well I'm glad that you got to put that part of your past behind you and it seems like you're on better terms now...?"

"Yup. We exchanged numbers to stay in touch and I met her mom and everything. Her mom has an awesome name too. Something super unique like, Malady... Or Marina... I can't quite remember because I only met her briefly but-"

Something clicked in Regina as she said, "Maleficent," in a shocked voice.

"Yeah. How'd you know that, babe?"

"I don't know. It just kind of popped into my head. That's kind of weird though because I knew someone with that name when I was younger. It is a very unique name, indeed. What did she happen to look like?" Regina asked.

"She was a petite blonde woman. She was super pretty actually. I assumed she had Lily when she was really young. That'd kind of make sense as to why she gave her up if that's the case."

"Do you know what kind of car she had that got stolen?" Regina said in a very quiet voice.

"Yeah. I remember Lily said it was a vintage Jaguar. Why?"

Regina ignored Emma's question and asked her another one instead. "Emma, what was her last name?" Regina practically whispered.

"Uh... De Beaufort! I remember thinking it sounded very Southern but Lily said her mom's family was originally from Britain. That's where they were living and working actually. But, Gina why are you asking all of this?" Emma asked hesitantly.

Regina dropped Emma's hands and looked away from her. "Because I think the Maleficent that you're talking about is the same one that I had the hugest crush on when I was a very young girl," Regina practically whispered as she let go of Emma's hands and turned to look out of the windshield. She then suddenly reached for her door handle to get out of the car.

Emma sat there not exactly in complete shock but trying to sort through this information that she had just been given. Before she could begin to digest it, she heard Regina slamming the trunk closed and saw her carrying all of their bags to the front door. Emma quickly got out and met Regina at the door as she was taking the keys out to unlock it.

"Regina... what?" Emma finally responded.

* * *

Emma struggled thru the door with all of the bags as Regina closed and locked it behind them. Why the brunette needed so many bags for a long weekend Emma would never understand. She dropped them unceremoniously after taking a few steps inside. "How many clothes did you bring, Gina?" Emma said, panting and trying to actively catch her breath.

Regina chuckled. "At least twice as much as you I'm assuming. I brought some riding clothes as well. And some for you since I figured you probably wouldn't bring any," Regina said with a confident smirk.

"Well thank you for that. But can we get back to the fact that you figured out that Maleficent is Lily's mom?" Emma said as she walked around the room taking in her new surroundings. "And by the way, you call this a cottage?"

"What do you mean?" Regina asked genuinely confused.

"I guess when you grow up in a mansion anything smaller than that is considered to just be a cottage," Emma said with a light chuckle.

"Make yourself at home, Em. I'm going to take the bags back to the bedroom. You need to start working out with me by the way. Being a small-town deputy is not keeping you in any sort of shape apparently," Regina said as she easily lifted all of their bags and made her way down a hallway Emma hadn't even noticed yet.

"Hey it's not my fault that my job consists mostly of paperwork and sitting behind a desk or the wheel of a car!" Emma called out after Regina. She had to admit that it still astonished yet immensely turned her on how buff Regina was compared to her lately. She had started to take more physical control in the bedroom too but Emma had no problem with that at all. In fact, it only made her girlfriend sexier in her eyes. And she figured as long as she could keep up with her and didn't lose her six pack anytime soon, she was alright.

Emma took off her jacket and hung it on the ornate coat rack by the front door before she walked to stand in front of the more understated fireplace. Her eye was immediately drawn to multiple pictures of a young Regina doing different activities on horseback presumably at Storybrooke Stables. Her favorite was of a smiling Regina sitting on a beautiful brown horse looking directly into the camera. Emma found herself taking this one off of the mantle to give it a closer look. She turned around as she heard Regina re-entering the room. "I think this one is my favorite," Emma said with a huge smile on her face.

Regina gently grabbed the frame out of Emma's hands. "It's so ironic that this would be the picture that you'd pick up because Mal took it."

"Mal? Oh, you mean Maleficent," Emma said softly. She slumped down into the worn but comfortable sofa that sat facing the fireplace. Regina stayed standing looking at the photo for a few more seconds before she replaced it on the mantle and joined Emma on the sofa.

"Everyone just called her Mal. Understandably, since Maleficent is a bit of a mouthful for anybody," Regina said as she looked up at the photos above the fireplace.

"So, I don't understand. Help me out here. You knew Lily's mom somehow when you two were younger?" Emma asked, turning towards Regina.

"Yes. Mal was twelve years older than me and she kind of took me under her wing when I first started coming to the stables. Honestly, Em she was probably the first girl that I had a proper crush on," Regina said as she turned to look at the blonde. "I was only seven when I found out that Mal was being sent away. I had no idea why. I was just a child. But when I got older I finally found out that she had gotten pregnant at eighteen and her parents had sent her away to have the baby. I never saw or heard from her again after that but it made sense to me. Mal was from an incredibly rich and high society family that would not allow their family name to by sullied by a teen pregnancy. I never found out if she kept the baby or gave it up."

"That all makes sense because Lily was adopted and her birth mother had actually come back into her life a little after we started dating. When we talked at the precinct she told me that she worked for her birth mother now. She was living with her somewhere in England and getting to know her better as they worked together."

"Yeah, from what I understand about Mal's heritage, her family is originally from some small town close to London. I think somewhere in the countryside from what I can remember..." Regina said, looking up as she tried to accurately recall all she knew about her first crush.

"How do you know all of this info about her family history and stuff, Gina?"

"Well," Regina chuckled in response. "Like I said, she was my first real crush and when she pretty much disappeared I was devastated. I let it go for most of my childhood but one day the subject of what happened to her came up at school and I kind of, embarrassingly I might add, became obsessed with finding out more about her. And I guess, you know, being bookish and such I started doing research into her family history. I got sort of carried away actually." She laughed at herself again. "But yeah, that's how I know so much about her."

"I'm not going to judge you, babe," Emma chuckled. "We've all been there. I know I have," she said, shaking her head as if she was trying to get rid of her own embarrassing memory.

Before Regina could ask her more about her statement, something occurred to her and she instead asked, "So I'm confused now. Words are more my thing than numbers. How old exactly is Lily then?"

"She'd be about 20 now I guess."

"Wait, what? But you said you two dated in college."

"We did. Well I was in college. Lily was pretty advanced for her age and she was already taking some college courses."

"Hmmm...interesting. Well not to make excuses for her or anything, but I can kind of see why she broke up with you via text now. It seems like an appropriately immature thing for someone her age to do and not think through the consequences of."

"I know. And I think I realized that at the time. But she was also so mature for her age at the same time. We used to have such great intellectual conversations after class. And she was already living in the city with a few friends."

"Really? What was she then, like sixteen? I couldn't imagine letting Luce do something like that. Even if she was really advanced academically."

"Yeah her parents were pretty lax when it came to stuff like that apparently. I used to ask her about them all of the time but she always tended to avoid the subject. Like she was always angry at them for adopting her or something. It was weird."

"And I'm sure it was kind of hard for you to hear that with your upbringing and situations before Ingrid, right?"

"Pretty much. She was adopted from like birth. I swear, I've never been a violent person, Gina, but sometimes I just wanted to smack her when she spoke about hating them. She seemed so ungrateful. She had no idea how good she had it. Having two loving, and well-off I might add, parents who adopted her as an infant."

Regina scooted closer to Emma and gave her a warm but somewhat awkward hug due to their current positioning. Emma didn't hesitate to reciprocate it, resting her head gently on her girlfriend's shoulder. Regina put her feet up on the sofa and laid back. Emma naturally repositioned herself to lay both next to and half on top of her as she followed her down. The two women lay comfortably in each other's warm embraces. "So do you think we'll run into them when we go there?" Emma asked softly. Her eyes were closed as she continued to rest her head on Regina's shoulder, the brunette's arm encircling Emma protectively.

Regina chuckled lightly. "It is a pretty big place. But with our luck and the way that almost everyone in our lives appears to be connected to each other, I'd say it's more than likely that we will. I mean, of all of the pictures that you could have picked up you chose the one that the woman you had just asked me about took. What are the odds of that happening?"

"Don't ask me. I'm about as good with numbers as you are, bookworm," Emma said with a wide grin.

Regina could feel Emma smiling and placed a soft kiss on her forehead before saying, "So do you just want to sleep out here or do you want to move into our bedroom?"

"I was actually hoping that we could do other things in our bedroom before we went to sleep tonight..." Emma said suggestively.

"I think that can be arranged," Regina said. And with that answer she sat up somehow ending up with Emma in her lap. She then swiftly stood up lifting Emma with her. Emma quickly wrapped her legs around Regina as she made her way down the hallway to the bedroom. Emma waited until they crossed the threshold before she gave Regina an urgent kiss. Not having to bother to close the door, Regina made her way over to the bed in the middle of the room and fell forward on top of Emma. Emma moaned as Regina broke their kiss and sat up to take off her shirt.

"Hey, I wanted to do that," Emma whined.

"Sorry. Too slow," Regina said as she laid back down on top of Emma going straight for her neck instead of her mouth causing Emma to groan in pleasure.

"Do you want to take your own clothes off or do you want me to do it?" Regina asked in between kisses to Emma's neck and jawline.

"I don't care, babe," Emma panted. "Just don't stop doing what you're doing."

Regina practically growled before ripping open Emma's button-up shirt without a care for all of the buttons that went flying in every which direction.

"Oh, God. I love it when you're rough," Emma gasped as Regina pushed up her tank top scratching her stomach on her way to unclasping Emma's bra which closed in the front. She then hungrily attached her mouth to one of Emma's heaving breasts as she palmed the other one with her hand. Emma moaned as she grabbed the back of Regina's head with both hands and writhed beneath her. After Regina had tended to both of Emma's breasts and nipples for long enough in her opinion, Emma pulled her up to kiss her as she simultaneously removed the brunette's bra with expert speed. As she tossed it away from the bed, Regina began to kiss her way down Emma's body. She removed Emma's now partly ruined shirt, her tank top and her bra from her top half in a few fluid motions before she made quick work of Emma's boots, socks, jeans and underwear. She then sat on top of her girlfriend's torso as she slowly removed her own belt and kicked off her Uggs. Emma's eyes darkened as she watched Regina slowly shed the rest of her clothes. She knew she was in for something special by the way that Regina looked down at her not once breaking eye contact.

Before Emma even knew what was happening Regina had laid down with her head at the top of the bed and had pulled Emma on top of her kneeling with her wet center just over Regina's face. Emma held onto the headboard to balance herself just in time to look down and see Regina's mouth connect with her warm opening. Emma cried out and clutched the headboard even harder as she closed her eyes and threw her head back in pure ecstasy. Regina grabbed Emma's ass with both hands as she sucked Emma's clit before licking up and her down her folds with wanton abandon.

"Fuck, Gina! Ahhhhhh!" was all Emma could manage to put into words as she began to ride up and down on Regina's tongue which she continued to fuck Emma with. She slapped Emma's cheeks a few times sending Emma over the edge. Emma shook violently as she orgasmed and Regina greedily licked up Emma's juices. When Emma finally stilled she collapsed, completely spent. Regina had to lift Emma's thighs so that she wouldn't suffocate her. Emma rolled floppily off of Regina's face after she felt herself being lifted and lazily rolled onto her back trying but failing to catch her breath. She held one forearm over her forehead as she tried to slow down her breathing. Regina rolled onto her side kissing along Emma's exposed obliques. She made her way back up to Emma's left breast and before she could work on her nipple she felt Emma pushing her head away.

"What's wrong, love?" Regina chuckled deeply as she rested her chin on Emma chest looking up at her sincerely.

"I just. Need. A little. More time. To recover," Emma panted. "I can't. Believe. You just. Ate me. Out. Like that," she finished.

"You've never done that before?" Regina asked, lifting her head up a little.

Emma who had suddenly and finally caught her breath also lifted her head. "No. Why have you?"

"Not yet," Regina said with a grin as she swung her leg onto the other side of Emma and started to shimmy her way up her body on her knees. Emma grinned and slid down a little until she could practically taste her girlfriend before she even reached her dripping apex. Regina gripped the headboard lightly at first as she lowered herself the rest of the way down onto Emma's anxiously awaiting mouth. Before she could even feel Emma's lips on her center she felt her tongue dip into her entrance.

"YESSSS!"

Emma smiled as she took her tongue back out of Regina to lick her up and down repeatedly simultaneously slapping Regina's ass as she drove her closer and closer to the edge. Regina had almost immediately starting riding Emma's face back and forth essentially elongating Emma's greedy swipes up and down her sex.

"Emma! I need you inside of me! Right now!" Regina growled.

Emma tightened her grip on Regina's butt and lower back to get her to stop moving so she could oblige her. She pushed her tongue into her as far as she could and moved it around for just a few seconds before she took it out to suck on Regina's clit until she heard her scream out through her orgasm. Regina swung her leg over Emma so that she was on one side of her and slid down the bed onto her side breathing heavily but with a satisfied smile spread across her glowing face.

"That was fun," she said, looking into Emma's eyes. Emma had joined her by also laying on her side facing Regina with a huge grin on her face. Regina leaned forward for a gentle yet very intimate kiss, tasting herself on Emma's lips and tongue.

"You're so amazing," Emma said as the kiss ended. "And you're so strong! What classes are you taking at the gym these days?"

Regina smiled widely at her before replying, "Mostly Pilates. I'm serious, you should really start coming with me. Can you imagine how good it would be if we were both in our best physical conditions?"

"Not really," Emma chuckled. "But I'm picturing Edward and Bella doing it on their honeymoon in _Breaking Dawn Part One_ ," she said with a smirk.

"Wow, you're really not even going to try to hide the fact that you're a Twihard huh?"

Emma laughed. "What can I say, I've pretty much always been a fan of KStew," Emma said with a shrug of her shoulders before she wrapped her arm around Regina. Regina flipped onto her other side so that Emma could spoon her as she pulled up the comforter to cover them. Emma sighed contentedly and almost immediately fell asleep.

"Em?" Regina asked hesitantly.

"Hmm?" Emma responded sleepily.

"Would you mind getting out of bed and turning the light off so we can go to sleep?"

Emma chuckled. "Sure, Gina. But only because you gave me such an amazing orgasm."

"Don't I always, love?"

"Yes, you do," Emma said as she reluctantly rolled out of bed. "And I do have to thank you for introducing me to that wonderful new position. Which, where did you even learn that from?" Emma asked as she eagerly got back into the warm bed to spoon Regina again.

"Do you really not know?" Regina asked.

"I don't know. Do I?" Emma shot back.

Regina chuckled. "Haven't you ever heard the expression, 'Don't answer a question with a question'?" she said with a roll of her eyes that Emma couldn't see in the sudden darkness.

"Yeah. So?" Emma replied as she placed a kiss at the apex of Regina's shoulder blades.

"Does it really matter now?" Regina asked as she gave a sound of pleasure from Emma's kiss.

Emma lifted her head a little and chuckled, "Gina why are so embarrassed to tell me where you learned about queening from?"

"Well if you must know I've recently discovered the world of fanfiction," she responded very seriously.

"Wait! You're can't make fun of me for liking those silly movies when you're becoming more of a fangirl every day."

"So...?" Regina shot back weakly.

"What kind of fanfic are you even reading? What fandoms are you favorite? Hold on, let me guess. I'm gonna go with...either Xena and Gabrielle or...hmmm. Buffy?"

"Well you've actually hit the nail on the head, dear. I immediately started with Xena and Gabrielle, of course and then I somehow fell into the Buffy and Faith fandom," Regina said proudly.

"Oooo, interesting. I would've thought you'd go for some Willow and Tara action actually."

"You know I'm still broken up about what they did to Tara. I don't know if I can read about them yet. Even in happy times..." Regina exhaled deeply. "So wait. You obviously like to read fanfiction too. What are your favorites?"

"You figured that out, huh? Well, I like a lot of the newer ships like Bering and Wells and Root and Shaw. A little Sanvers or even some Supercorp."

"Understandable. Those are all very good shows. Although I'm not really excited with the direction that they're taking Supergirl in now that she's on the CW..."

"I know, right?! But I'll stick with her at this point. Plus, I love it when they do those crossover episodes!"

"Those are always fun. So, you read about queening in some of those fanfics like I did or...?"

"I said _I'd_ never done it. That doesn't mean that I've never had a girl do it on me," Emma stated honestly.

Regina lightly smacked the arm that Emma had wrapped around her stomach. "Emma Swan! That's pretty much just a lie of omission!"

Emma laughed. "What? I'm a giver. So sue me," she said as she settled more comfortably into the bed to go to sleep.

Regina just shook her head as she scooted back into Emma more and closed her eyes with a huge smile still on her face.


	21. Chapter 21

Emma woke up cold and alone. She reached for her little personal heater a.k.a. her girlfriend but she felt nothing but an empty bed. She immediately pouted and groaned as she called out for Regina.

"Yes?" Regina replied, standing at the doorway to the en suite bathroom brushing her teeth.

Emma squinted as she looked toward where she heard her voice coming from. Regina smiled around her toothbrush when Emma looked in her direction. She walked back into the bathroom to spit and rinse out her mouth before she reentered the bedroom in all of her naked glory. She walked over to Emma's side of the bed and pulled the sheets away from her girlfriend. "Time to rise and shine, love."

Emma groaned loudly as she futilely grabbed for the sheets to pull them back onto her still naked body. She finally gave up and laid on her back with her eyes closed and her arms crossed over her chest. "Fine," she said childishly. "I'll rise. But I make no promises to shine," she said as she opened her eyes and turned her head to look at the Regina and pout. "What time is it anyway, babe?" she then proceeded to whine.

"It is pretty early. Actually, you don't even want to know. But I figured we'd get up and go down to the stables to get an early start. That's how you get your pick of the best horses, from what I remember. Come on. I'll make us some breakfast," Regina said as she grabbed a robe hanging on the back of the door and exited the bedroom. Emma took one more deep breath before she finally relented and got up to throw some clothes on to join her girlfriend.

* * *

"This is nice actually," Emma said as she walked behind Regina thru the stables. "A little cold, but not too bad."

"Well I'd be cold too if all I was wearing was your favorite red leather jacket. Honestly, how do you survive the New England winters in that thing?"

"Hey! It's still only October and I do own other more warm coats. I just choose to wear this one the most until I'm forced to put on something thicker," Emma said, holding her chin up high as she proudly made her statement.

"Okay, dear," Regina chuckled. "Anyway this, I discovered, is Rocinante Dos," she said as she entered a stall.

"Wait. That can't be the same horse that you had growing up. It looks just like him though…," Emma said as she too stepped into the stall to get a closer look at the beautiful brown horse with a wide white streak running down from between his ears to his nose.

"Nope. It's not. I found out from the stable master that no one really gets to ride my Rocinante anymore but he's still here. Living out his days comfortably," Regina said with a smile as she walked over to officially introduce herself to the horse. "This is his son. And he's just as beautiful as his father," Regina said and stroked the horse's head. "Emma hand me that brush over there in the corner. I want to brush him a little before we go out riding."

Emma paused before she handed the brush over to Regina. "I'm sorry...what do you mean we?"

Regina laughed at the scared look on Emma's face as she closed the space between them to take the brush from her. "Just what I said, Em. We're going to go for a little ride on Rocinante Dos here. Together. Don't worry, I wasn't planning on trying to get you onto a horse of your own on our first day here. I know you're a little apprehensive about being around them in general. So, baby steps. You can sit in the saddle behind me today and maybe tomorrow we can try to get you into one by yourself. How does that sound?" Regina asked as she turned from brushing the horse to face Emma for her answer.

Emma gave Regina a small smile. "That sounds good, Gina. You treat me too good sometimes," she said as she walked over to give Regina a hug. As she got closer to the animal, it shook its head and whinnied. Emma jumped back before she even knew what she was doing. Regina laughed and dropped the brush down on the ground. "It's okay, Em. That's a completely normal noise for him to make. Come here." She urged her girlfriend to join her and then gently encouraged her to say hello to their new friend.

Getting onto the horse and seated behind Regina was way easier than Emma imagined it would be. The constant up and down motion of riding it took some getting used to, but she just held on tightly to Regina's waist and enjoyed the closeness that their situation offered them. Regina took it slow until they were clear of the stables and was just about to open Rocinante Dos up a little into more of a gallop when she heard someone excitedly call Emma's name. She turned the reins so that they were facing the voice and immediately felt Emma's grip tighten on her stomach even more. Regina heard Emma exhale loudly before the blonde whispered into her ear, "And that's Lily."

Emma then made the motion to try to get down off of the horse herself and seemingly out of nowhere she felt a pair of hands on her hips helping her to get down successfully. Emma was utterly confused as to who this person could be though because she looked up to see that Lily was still standing a few feet in front of Regina and Rocinante Dos. She turned around a little more quickly and roughly then she had intended to find the smiling face of a gorgeously blonde and petite woman who it her took her more than a few seconds to recognize as Lily's mother, Maleficent. Almost simultaneous to her recognition, she heard Regina gasp.

"Hello again, Emma," Maleficent said still sporting her beautiful and friendly smile as she took a step back from Emma. "It's lovely to see you again. Who are you riding with today?"

Before Emma could respond, Regina said softly, "It's me, Mal. Regina." She immediately jumped off of her horse after addressing her old friend and walked around to stand in front of her still holding the reins.

Now it was Maleficent's turn to gasp out loud as she put her hand up to her mouth with a look of pure shock on her face. She dropped her hand as she stepped forward reaching it out in front of her as she asked, "Regina...? Is that really you?"

"Yes!" Regina replied as she let go of the reins and sprung forward to swallow Maleficent in a tight hug.

Maleficent immediately reciprocated, wrapping her arms tightly around Regina's back. Lily walked over to the two women as they released each other with a look of curious confusion on her face as she asked, "So you're Emma's Regina, right? How exactly do you know my mom?" She looked between the two women who were still lightly holding onto each other as she asked her questions.

Emma decided to answer for them. "Well, apparently they knew each other when they were younger. As I understand it, your mom was a bit of a mentor to Gina."

"Yes, that's right," Maleficent contributed. "It was actually a bit more than that. I loved this little girl like she were my own sister," she said as she looked lovingly into Regina's eyes. The two women were standing side by side facing Lily but their arms still held onto each other.

"Yeah," Regina chuckled. "I can't believe we ran into you. But actually I did tell Emma that we probably would. You know, with our luck and how connected we are apparently," she said, stealing a glance at her grinning girlfriend.

Maleficent and Regina finally let go of each other. They both walked to stand beside the people they were there with. Regina took Emma's hand and Maleficent put her arm around her daughter's shoulder pulling her closer to her side. Both parties stood smiling at each other for an awkward few seconds before Emma decided to break the silence by inadvertently embarrassing her girlfriend. "So Mal, did you know that Regina had a huge crush on you as a kid?"

"Really...?" Mal said lasciviously.

"Really?!" Lily exclaimed.

"Really, Emma?!" Regina said, giving Emma a look.

"What?" Emma said with a shrug of her shoulders as she looked between everyone. "I think it's cute she was like your first real girl crush..." Emma faded out as Regina continued to glare at her.

"I sort of knew that, Reg," Maleficent said confidently.

Everyone's heads whipped towards the blonde after she had said that.

"But, hey, like I said, she was like a little sister to me. Besides the weird age difference. She was barely in elementary school when I got sent away. I missed her dearly though. I still can't believe you're here right now, Reg," Maleficent said, addressing Regina directly.

"Same here, Mal," Regina responded with a warm smile.

The four women had agreed to meet up for dinner later that night to continue catching up before going their separate ways. As Emma climbed back into the saddle and settled herself comfortably behind Regina she chuckled as she said, "Reg?"

"Yeah, she used to call me Reggie when I was younger," Regina said as she looked back at Emma with a grin.

"Hmmm. I like it," Emma concluded.

Regina chuckled as she slowly led them toward her favorite path. "Don't even think about it. I have enough nicknames from you as it is."

"I don't know. I don't really count 'woman' and 'babe' as nicknames though...," Emma stated as they sped up to a gallop and she held on tighter to Regina.

* * *

Regina and Emma walked into the restaurant and asked for their party who had apparently already arrived and been seated. Regina held Emma's hand as they were led to their table to join Maleficent and Lily. The mother and daughter both looked up and smiled warmly as the couple joined them. Emma let go of Regina's hand and pulled her chair out for her before she sat down herself.

They were almost immediately greeted by their waiter who asked if they would like something to drink. Regina ordered an apple martini and Emma ordered an old fashioned. The four women started up an easy and light conversation after Emma and Regina had received their drinks and everyone had put in their entrée orders.

"So Reg, you've never left Storybrooke then?" Maleficent asked as she took a sip of her wine.

"Nope! Daniel and I had always planned on planting roots, raising our kids and growing old there together," Regina answered.

"Interesting. How many kids did you want to have originally?" Maleficent then asked.

"I think we had agreed to three or four," Regina responded.

"Well, you're halfway there now, right?" Lily said as she grinned and raised her glass in Emma and Regina's direction.

"Yeah, I guess we are," Emma said as she reached to take Regina's hand and give her a loving glance.

"So, I was your first official crush, huh, Reg?" Maleficent asked, interrupting their moment. She took another sip as she smirked at Regina.

Both Emma and Lily gave Maleficent looks as if to say, "So?" But Maleficent didn't at all register their critical looks as her gaze stayed trained steadily and exclusively on Regina.

Regina chuckled as she released Emma's hand and deposited hers politely back into her lap. "Yes, that is a very accurate description," she said as she looked down shyly.

"And would it also be accurate to say that I'm the one who made you realize that you were gay?" Maleficent asked, zeroing her gaze even more on Regina with a devilish smirk.

Regina chuckled nervously and responded, "I'd have to say yes to that too."

Maleficent chuckled at that. "Well I've got say that you were a very cute little girl who has grown up into an absolutely gorgeous woman," she said with a wink. Emma and Lily looked at each other this time in dismay, indicating silently that they both disapproved of the direction that the conversation was going in.

Regina felt it too and so she decided to excuse herself to the ladies' room to relieve the growing tension at the table. Before anyone could stop her or even possibly respond, Maleficent had quickly risen also saying, "I think I'll join her. I need to powder my nose."

"She didn't even take her purse with her..." Lily said, looking after her mother as she swiftly walked away from their table.

"Hmmm. Do you think I should follow them in there...?" Emma said also looking after Maleficent as she rounded a corner in the direction of the restrooms.

"Nah. From what I can tell, Regina seems to be able to take care of herself. She can handle it," Lily said with an affirmative nod to Emma.

"Yeah she'll be okay, I guess... But I'm not being paranoid or anything, right? Your mom was definitely hardcore flirting with my girlfriend?" Emma asked as she turned back to look at Lily.

"Yeah... She's kind of predatory in that respect. I've seen it before when we've gone out together."

"You go with your mom? Like to bars and clubs and stuff?" Emma asked genuinely shocked.

"Yeah. Why not?" Lily said with a shrug of her shoulders. "We're both gay and hot. She's a good wingwoman actually. And it was some good bonding for us when we first started living and working together. I can understand how that wouldn't exactly work out for everyone though," she stated as she took a short sip of her drink.

"I mean, my mom and I are both bi but I could never imagine going out to bars with her. Not just to hang out. Maybe to celebrate something but I would never let myself drink as much as I would if I were out with my friends."

"Yup. It's definitely not for everyone, I'll say that. I don't know, I think she just wanted to be my friend more since she wasn't there to watch me grow up and I was already an adult when she came back into my life. I guess she didn't feel like I really needed a mother type figure or that sort of stuff from her."

"But did you...?" Emma asked, dipping her head and giving Lily a pointed look.

"Actually...yeah. It would've been nice to have my mum there for me in that way rather than just someone to hold my hair back for me when I've had a few too many at the club."

Emma chuckled. "Mum? Really?"

"Hey I lived there for long enough that some of the lingo kind of stuck, okay?" Lily responded with a hearty chuckle. "But that's another reason why I think my mum wanted to hang out with me more than acting her own age, I guess. After she got pregnant with me her life was pretty much mapped out for her so she never really go a chance to experience the fun of her twenties and even her early thirties," Lily said, changing the subject back to her mother.

Emma nodded her head in understanding. "I get it, Lil. But all that doesn't mean that I'm at all comfortable with her hitting on my girlfriend so obviously right in front of me. I mean, it sounds to me like you only know her as a bestie and Gina probably still sees her as this unattainable but super hot girl she had a crush own. Seeing her through rose colored glasses probably doesn't even begin to describe the way she views your mom."

"Well, I say give them a couple of minutes and if they're not back by then, go in there after your woman," Lily said with a grin.

"Yup. That's definitely the plan, Lil," Emma said, taking a hardy pull from her drink.

* * *

Regina exited the bathroom stall and stopped suddenly in her tracks as soon as she as she saw Maleficent leaning back against the counter facing her and wearing a predatory grin. She decided to walk past her to wash her hands, not even greeting her.

Maleficent turned around stepping closer to Regina as she dried her hands. "So...are you and Emma exclusive or...?" she asked as Regina made her way to the door.

"Excuse me?!" Regina said as she spun around finally acknowledging Maleficent's presence. "What at all gave you the impression that we're not?!" she said as she walked aggressively back towards the petite blonde.

Maleficent backed away holding her hands up and laughed. "I'm sorry! Really. I just thought I'd take a shot. You're too hot to pass up a chance on. Reggie, I always knew you had a thing for me. From the way you used to look at me it was pretty obvious. I thought it was super cute actually. It's why I took a shine to you and took you under my wing. If I had known what a gorgeous woman you'd turn out to be I would've-"

"Stop!" Regina said, putting her hand up and closing her eyes in disgust and frustration. "Do you hear yourself?! You were twelve years older than me, Mal! You said it yourself, that you saw me as a little sister. Why would you even say something like that?! It is beyond creepy to even think like that. I know we're both adults now but still. So, just stop with these," Regina gestured dramatically between the two of them, "ridiculous advances." She turned to walk away but made sure to face Maleficent to make one last point clear. "And don't ever again try to come between me and Emma. You knew from the moment you saw us together how serious we were about each other. Let alone the fact that I'm sure your daughter told you about us after she and Emma ran into each other in the precinct." Regina turned to exit the bathroom. She held the door open for Maleficent. "Try not to make this dinner any more awkward than you've already managed to do. It was super obvious to everyone what you were doing. Control yourself."

"Okay, Reggie," Maleficent chuckled as she walked thru the door.

"And it's Regina or Gina if you like," the brunette said as she followed her. "Reggie was that six-year-old girl that you left behind. Without saying goodbye." She had said that last sentence softly to herself. But Maleficent had heard her and made up her mind to somehow make amends for that before she and Regina parted ways.

* * *

The rest of dinner went by surprisingly smoothly. With the tension gone, the four women ended up having a really good time simply enjoying each other's company and regaling each other with tales from their respective pasts.

"Wait," Mal chuckled, addressing Emma directly, "how exactly did you get locked of your room in nothing but your underwear...?"

"Well if you want to get technical, I was wearing a pair of red underwear and a white tank top," Emma said proudly as she forked some food into her mouth.

"Yes, dear, because that makes it oh so much better," Regina said, giving Emma a skeptical look.

"I think what she's maybe trying to say is that she only didn't have pants on. So that wasn't too bad. Right, Em?" Lily answered, defending Emma.

"Thank you, Lily. And yes, that is how I viewed the situation at the time. Until I realized what I had done and that I had to walk down to the front desk at one of the busiest times of the day since everyone was either headed to a class or coming back from one," Emma continued in a less confident but still not totally embarrassed voice.

"Wait though, where was your RA? Couldn't you have just asked him or her for help?" Regina pointed out.

"Yes, Gina. I could have if she wasn't such a flake," Emma replied pointedly. "No actually she only sucked so much at doing her job because she was in grad school. But she was almost never there. She was either studying at the library, at some meeting place with a study group or at one of her classes. It actually got so bad that as a hall we all got together and figured out her schedule and the times that she would actually be free to help us and started setting up appointments with her like she was an advisor or something. But if any sort of emergency situation happened you were just shit out of luck," Emma said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"So what'd you end up doing then?" Lily asked.

"How have you never heard this story?" Maleficent asked her daughter.

"Oh, we weren't together then, Mum. This was before our time together. Emma had gotten an apartment with Jane and Maura by the time we were a thing," Lily answered.

"You lived with Jane and Maura in college?! How is this the first time I'm hearing this?" Regina exclaimed.

"Calm down, babe," Emma chuckled. "Yes, we were roommates for a couple of years. That's how they knew Lily. Anyway, back to my story. So, once I realized that I had officially locked myself out I just sucked it up, held my head up high and took the elevator down to get the extra key."

"Well that's an anticlimactic ending to that story," Maleficent huffed as she took a small bite of her food.

"Not really though," Lily added. "She's kind of downplaying it because I only took a couple of classes on campus at the time and even I heard the story of the sophomore girl who had to walk downstairs naked to get her extra room key. By the time it got to me though, you were fully naked and being described as the smoking hot girl with long blonde hair who used it to cover her boobs and had only her hands to cover her private bits," Lily said with a smirk as she lifted her fork up to her mouth.

All of the other three women practically did spit takes of their respective meals and drinks as they burst into laughter upon hearing this.

* * *

"That was really fun," Emma said as she followed Regina thru the door of the cottage and closed it behind her. "We'll have to meet up with them again sometime soon."

"Yes, dear, I agree. It was fun. After I told Mal to cool it with her creepy advances," Regina replied.

"Yeah, how'd that all go down, by the way?" Emma asked as she hung up her coat by the door.

"I pretty much told her that nothing could come between me and you and that her saying I'd grown into a gorgeous woman was more than a little off-putting since she knew me as a little girl. Oh, and to stop calling me Reggie," Regina answered as she followed suit and hung her coat up on the coatrack.

Emma immediately took Regina and wrapped her arms around her waist bringing her closer to her. Regina naturally put her arms around Emma's neck and smiled as she looked into her girlfriend's eyes. "Oh, really...? I mean, I wouldn't be opposed to a threesome if that's something that you're interested in pursuing..." Emma suggested with a smirk.

Regina slapped Emma's arm playfully. "Ew, Emma! NO! You slept with her daughter! That'd be really weird! Right...?" Regina asked Emma skeptically.

"Yes, babe," Emma chuckled. "I was clearly only joking. I mean, unless..."

Regina shook her head grinning before dropping her arms down from Emma's neck and unwrapping the blonde's arms from around her. She then took Emma's hand and led her over to the sofa. Both women sat down instinctively facing each other still holding hands and smiling softly at each other. "So I want to give you your gift, if that's okay," Regina said as she pulled a small box from in between the cushions.

Emma laughed. "Seriously, Gina? That's where you chose to hide that?! It's not like I was looking for it or anything."

"No," Regina chuckled at herself. "But I knew we'd either end up here or in the bedroom and that we'd probably be busy doing other things in there if we're not sleeping," she said with a knowing tilt of her head.

Emma agreed nonverbally.

"Anyway, here. Open it."

"But it's not even my birthday yet," Emma replied as she eagerly accepted the small box and let go of Regina's hands to rip into the paper causing Regina to giggle at her pure excitement.

Emma opened the small box expecting jewelry but instead finding a single key. She looked up at Regina confused. "What's this?" she then asked.

"It looks like a key to me," Regina said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Yeah...but a key to what exactly?" Emma asked still really confused.

"To my house," Regina stated with a giant smile on her face.

Emma looked up as what was happening finally began to make sense to her. Her mouth dropped open as words escaped her.

"So...what do say?" Regina asked.

"You're asking me and Henry to move in with you and Luce...right?" Emma responded.

"Yes, silly! Wow. It took you long enough to get there! Way to put that college education to good use."

"Well, insults aside, my answer is yes. Of course! I mean, we're already there like 5-6 nights a week right. Why not start sleeping there too?"

"That's not exactly an explanation that I wanted to hear, but you said yes first. So..."

Emma leaned forward and kissed any doubts that Regina had away. As she pulled back she smiled widely as she said, "Yes, Regina Teresa Mills, I would love for me and my son to move in with you and your beautiful daughter," she said before leaning in again to place a loving peck to Regina's lips.

"Wait. So I'm not beautiful too?" she asked with a smirk.

"Woman, you are gorgeous!" Emma replied.

Regina laughed heartily. "Thank you, dear. It never hurts to hear that."

"But do you honestly not know how attractive you are, babe?"

"Mmmmm... I know how other people react to my beauty, yes. But I've never been one to really put much stock into it."

"Gina, your beauty, as you put it, is exactly why Mal went all cougar town on you. Because of the incredibly hot woman you've become since she last saw you."

"Point well made, I guess. Anyway, you want to do some celebrating before we go to bed?" Regina asked with suggestive a lift of her eyebrows.

"Oh, I wasn't really planning on doing much sleeping tonight. I'm at least going to tire you out enough so that you won't wake me up at the buttcrack of dawn again," Emma said confidently.

"That's cute," Regina chuckled as she stood up and sashayed her way to the bedroom.

"What is?" Emma said as she eagerly followed her.

"That you think you can keep up with me," she said with a wink before she turned to surprise Emma by fisting the top of her dress as she pulled her in for a passionate kiss that left Emma a little dizzy from lack of air. Regina let go of her and walked away into the bedroom as she kicked off her heels and started to unzip her dress.

"Well, I can at least try, right?" Emma said with a dopey grin as she stood in front of her ridiculously sexy girlfriend who was now wearing nothing but her lacy panties and a seductive smirk.


	22. Chapter 22

Emma walked thru the door first and inhaled deeply and dramatically before saying, "Home sweet home!"

Regina followed her in grinning and shaking her head at her girlfriend's dorkiness. She dropped her bag to turn and lock the door. When she turned back around she was met with a hug and a sweet kiss from Emma. Holding Regina around her waist and smiling widely, Emma looked deeply into the brunette's eyes.

"Thanks for the amazing weekend, babe."

"Your welcome, love. And since today is your official birthday I have another present for you." She kissed Emma's cheek and released herself so she could walk to the foyer closet. She returned to where Emma was standing holding out a large clothes-sized, beautifully wrapped box towards the blonde. Emma gladly accepted her gift.

"Let's go and sit on the couch so you can open this," Regina suggested as she walked into the living room. Emma followed her still wearing a dopey smile as she sat down facing her.

"Oh, so I guess this was just a little too big to hide in the couch cushions, huh?"

"Yes, it was," Regina chuckled in response.

"This is too much, Gina. And you already got me a gift."

"Yes, love, but that key cost me next to nothing. I wanted to actually buy you something. Just open it already. I'm pretty sure you'll love it," Regina said with a confident smirk.

Emma eagerly ripped into the wrapping paper and quickly opened the box. She audibly gasped as she held up a beautiful new blue leather jacket, very similar in style to her favorite red one. She looked lovingly at Regina as she hugged her new jacket to her chest. "Gina. This is perfect," she near whispered.

"The color will bring out your eyes," she said in response.

Emma immediately began laughing almost uncontrollably.

"What's so funny?" Regina asked.

"Babe, you know my eyes are green, right?" Emma said when she finally managed to get a hold of herself. "You think you'd know that from all of the times that we stare into each other's eyes."

"I know that," Regina replied, giving Emma a playful slap on the arm. "But what you don't know and maybe have never even seen for yourself or noticed is that sometimes your eyes change color and are more blue than green."

"Really...?" Emma asked in earnest.

"Yes," Regina chuckled as she took the jacket from Emma's grip and set it on the coffee table. She then surprised Emma with a fiercely passionate kiss, holding both sides of her face as she continued to kiss her and slowly push her back down onto the cushions as she climbed on top of her. Their bodies flush up against one another, Emma wrapped her arms tightly around Regina as she lost herself in the amazing kiss that her girlfriend continued to assault her with. Emma had gained more control and was pushing Regina's shirt up to better feel her skin when they heard the doorbell ring. Both women moaned in frustration at being forced to stop their kiss which clearly was going to lead to somewhere else but they continued to lay in their current position. They both turned their heads in the direction of the door as they heard the doorbell ring for a second time.

"That's weird," Regina commented as she made the motion to get up off of Emma.

Emma stood up after her. "Yeah who do we know that would ring the doorbell all formally instead of just knocking?"

When the couple reached the front door Regina swung it open and was surprised to see Jane and Maura standing on her front porch. Her mouth dropped open as she couldn't find the words to greet them properly.

"Hey, Regina!" Jane said happily. "I hope it's okay we stopped by. We were actually in the area."

"Yes, and we figured that Emma would more likely be with you in her new home than alone at her old one," Maura contributed.

Regina, no longer at a loss for words, turned to face a bashful Emma for some sort of explanation. "We just arrived home less than fifteen minutes ago. How do they already know that I asked you to move in with me?" Regina asked incredulously.

"Um...well I was texting with Jane on the drive home. Sorry, Gina, but I was just so excited about you asking me to move in officially that I had to tell someone. I was actually about to text Ruby and tell her the awesome news but I saw a message from Jane first and it all just kind of spilled out."

"That's all well and good, dear. Your excitement is understandable but that still doesn't explain why I feel like this visit is very sudden..." Regina said with a pointedly raised eyebrow toward Emma.

"Well, like I said we were texting and like Jane just said they were in the area, so I suggested that they come over and see my new house and as I'm saying it out loud I'm starting to see the issue here..." Emma finished.

"Whoa, Swan, you didn't check with the wife to tell her and make sure that it was okay that we stop by? Not cool, man. Even I know the etiquette there. Apparently, I'm going to have to teach you the rules to moving into your girlfriend's super nice house," Jane chuckled.

"Don't worry, Emma. It took Jane a long time to learn the house rules too. Longer than you'd expect from an exceptional detective and overall acutely smart woman," Maura added.

"Hey!" Jane said defensively.

Maura ignored Jane's protest and addressed the other brunette directly as she said, "Regina, we're very sorry for the inconvenience. We can certainly come back at a different time if that's better for you."

"No, it's alright, Maura," Regina said, finally turning her critical gaze away from Emma. "Come inside. Please," she said as she stepped aside to allow the two women to enter.

* * *

"You have a lovely home, Regina," Maura stated as she walked back into the kitchen to join the other three women.

"Thank you, Maura," Regina replied proudly.

"So what took you so long to finally move in together?" Jane asked as Emma handed her a beer and she took a seat on one of the stools at the island. "Clearly Emma's already made herself at home here," Jane added as she slightly held up her beer bottle on display to further make her point.

Regina chuckled. "I'm not sure. Maybe she was just waiting to be officially asked," she stated with a grin.

"Okay," Jane responded with a simple shrug of her shoulders. "Em, Maura has something she wants to tell you," she said before taking a sip of her beer and trying to hide her smile.

"Yeah? What's up, Maur?"

"I just used the bathroom because I've been doing that a lot more lately," Maura stated with a smile as she walked over to stand between Jane's legs.

"Okay...," Emma responded confusedly. "So...?"

"Oh my God, Emma, she's pregnant!" Regina exclaimed before covering her mouth with both hands.

"WHAT?!" Emma shouted. "Already?!"

"Yes, stupid," Jane chuckled in response. "It was a pretty simple procedure actually," she said as she wrapped her arm around Maura from behind and kissed the back of her head.

"Yes. The hardest part was finding a donor that most resembled Jane both physically and mentally," Maura added as she put her arms over Jane's.

"Wow, just...wow!" Emma replied. "That's so awesome, you guys!" she said as she walked over to her friends to engulf them in a giant hug.

"Alright, jeez. Be careful with my woman. You're going to hurt the baby," Jane said as she lightly pushed Emma off of them, laughing.

"No, it's alright, honey, the baby is not that developed yet and it's protected by the amniotic sac so you don't have to worry about that," Maura said very seriously. Jane just shook her head and smiled in response to her fiancé.

"Ha! I think that's the first time I've ever heard you call her something like that. I mean, besides Jane calling you her woman all of the time," Emma observed.

"Yeah...she's only just started doing that recently. Probably something to do with the hormones or something, I don't know. Anyway, where are your two little ones?"

"Oh, we have to go and pick them up actually from their grandparents' homes," Regina answered as she looked at her watch and grimaced. "We should probably get going," she said directly to Emma.

Emma nodded her head in agreement. "Well, it'd be a little weird for you two to stay here alone in Regina's, I mean, our house... You wanna come with me to pick up Henry?"

"Yeah, sure. Man, I don't think we've seen him since he was first born, right Maur?"

"Yes, I believe he was only a week old when we visited you at your mother's house. Is she still in that same home?"

"Yup. She's the reason why I still live here actually," Emma responded.

"That really was a lovely neighborhood that she resided in," Maura mused.

"Yeah. Hey, Swan, how are the schools in this town?"

"They're really good actually. Why? You thinking about moving out here sometime soon...?" Emma asked as she turned around to look directly at the couple.

They moved past her without answering as they all continued to walk back towards the front door. Jane gave a sly smirk to Emma as she walked by. "Maybe."

* * *

Emma made her way back up the driveway after walking Regina to her car and seeing her off. After reaching where her bug was parked, she went to open the driver's side door. "What?" she asked as she noticed Jane and Maura standing on the other side of the car but making no motion at all to get into the vehicle.

"Why don't we take our car instead of riding in your death mobile," Jane said with a disgusted look on her face. Maura simply nodded and smiled politely at Emma to show she agreed with Jane's assessment.

"Hey! If it's good enough for Henry and me, you can deal. Now get in. Maura, you can have shotgun since you're in a more delicate state," Emma stated as she finally got into her car.

"Okay!" Maura said cheerfully as she pulled the seat forward to allow Jane to get into the back.

"Man, if I had known you would be getting all of this special treatment for having our kid, I would've gone first," Jane grumbled as she slid into the car.

"Oh, calm down," Emma said as she started the car. "It's a short ride from here to my mom's house."

"So, is your mom currently seeing anybody or...?" Jane asked.

"What?! Pipe down back there. And dude, the mother of your child and future wife is right here," Emma said as she pulled out of the driveway.

"What? She's knows she's the most important person in my life and that I've always had a thing for blondes. And that she's the most beautiful woman in the world and I place no other person's beauty above hers," Jane replied.

Emma made some dramatic gagging noises in response.

"I do know that, honey," Maura responded. "And from what I can recall, your mother is, in fact, a very beautiful woman, Em," she finished in defense of Jane.

"Ha! See? I'm not the only one who thinks so."

"No, it's pretty obvious," Maura continued.

"You guys, stop! That's my mom you're talking about. Stop objectifying her," Emma huffed.

Both women stopped talking and the car stayed quiet for all of 30 seconds before Jane asked, "So honestly, Swan, tell me. Did you have a crush on her when she first adopted you, or what?! Come on, be honest." Maura couldn't help laughing at her fiancé's query, which in turn caused Jane to laugh right along with her.

"Maura! Why are you encouraging this?!"

* * *

The three women stepped out of Emma's car and made their way toward Ingrid's porch and front door. The couple stood behind Emma as she knocked on the door. She had not had a chance to go back to her apartment to grab her copy of her mother's house key. It was answered swiftly by Emma's mom. "Hi, sweetie! Did you and Regina have a good mini vacation? Oh, and happy birthday!" She engulfed Emma in a hug and gave her a wet kiss on the cheek.

"Yes, we did," Emma chuckled as her mother finally released her. "Thanks, Mom. And thanks for looking after your grandson for me too."

"Oh, sweetie, you don't have to ever thank me for that. We had an amazing time together. Who, may I ask, are these lovely ladies standing behind you on my porch?" Ingrid asked once she noticed Jane and Maura.

"Well this is-"

Before Emma could even finish her sentence, Ingrid got a good look at the two women and suddenly remembered perfectly who they were. "Oh my goodness, how could I forget?! Jane? And Maura? Wow, you two look wonderful!" she exclaimed as she pushed Emma aside to invite the couple into her home.

"Hi Ms. Fisher!" they responded in unison as they made their way across the threshold and proceeded to follow her farther into her home.

"Jeez, I guess I'm chopped liver," Emma said quietly to herself as she closed and locked the door.

She found everyone in the living room chatting as they stood behind Henry who sat on the floor in between the sofa and tv and waited for Emma to join them. Even though Emma hadn't been that far behind the women apparently a lot of information had been exchanged already.

"Wow that's a beautiful ring, Maura!" Ingrid said as she held the blonde's hand and admired it. "And how far along are you now?"

"A little less than six weeks," Maura answered with a giant smile.

"Wow, congratulations. I'm sure you're going to be great mothers," Ingrid said, surprising them by suddenly engulfing them into a big hug.

Emma chuckled as she walked past the women to her son who was currently completely engrossed with an episode of _Paw Patrol_.

"Hey, I don't think I've seen this one, bud. Is it new?" Emma asked as she sat down next to Henry and looked up at the television screen grinning.

"Yes, mommy. Shhh!" Henry responded, almost paying his mother no mind.

"Really, kid? You haven't seen me in four days and this is how you greet me? By not even bothering to get up and properly say hello?"

It took a few more seconds for Henry to realize what was happening but when he did he launched himself into his mother's lap, hugging her tightly. "Mommy, you're back!"

"Yeah, bud, I'm back," Emma chuckled as she held her son closely.

"But where's Gina?" Henry asked as soon as their embrace ended.

"She just went to go pick up Luce from your other Grandma and Grandpa's house," Emma answered easily, rocking Henry back and forth as he still sat in her lap.

"Seriously?! They're just moving in with each other today and she already calls Regina's parents Grandma and Grandpa?" Jane whisper-asked out of the side of her mouth in Ingrid's direction.

"Yup. I'm not even surprised that they finally did it. It was just a matter of time. I could see that from the first time I met Regina. You know if I were 20 years younger, I might actually take a go at Regina..." Ingrid commented lowly to Maura and Jane. But apparently, she had not said it as quietly as she had thought.

"Oh my God. So many inappropriate things are being said in my presence today," Emma replied dramatically. "Mom, you don't even want to know what they were saying about you in the car ride over here," Emma said with a shake of her head.

Both Jane and Maura blushed simultaneously as they quickly looked away from Ingrid who was grinning from ear to ear.

"So, hey, Em, why don't bring Henry over here to meet us?" Jane said, trying to change the subject.

"Yes, we haven't gotten to see him since he was an infant," Maura added.

Emma chuckled to herself as she stood up with Henry who instinctively wrapped his legs around his mother's waist and his arms around her neck. Emma groaned as she stood up fully. "Either you're getting too big for me to hold, kid, or mama's getting old," she stated as she walked over to the three women.

"Dude, shut up, you're not even thirty yet," Jane responded.

"Whatever," Emma grumbled as she put Henry down in front of the ladies. She squatted as she said to him, "Henry these are your Aunties Jane and Maura. Jane is the tall, skinny, brown-haired one and Maura is the shorter, blonde prettier one."

"Really?" "Thank you," the two women both responded at the same time. Jane gave Emma an unforgiving look while Maura beamed at her.

"I know who they are!" Henry exclaimed as he ran at the two ladies and hugged their legs fiercely.

"Woah," Jane chuckled as she looked down fondly at Henry. "Swan, how does he even know us?"

Emma shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I mean, he doesn't really have a lot of people in his life that he doesn't know intimately. And I guess Regina and I have been talking about you a lot more than I thought lately."

"Why have you been discussing us so much lately?" Maura asked as she bent down to pick Henry up, setting him on her hip to get a closer look at him.

"Well, Regina and I have been talking about throwing your bachelorette party and-"

"Okay," Jane chuckled as she made the motion for Maura to hand Henry over to her. "Whatever you do, you know you'll have to run it by and ultimately probably include my mom, right?" Jane asked as she made funny faces at Henry.

"Yes, she'd be very upset if you did anything for us without her," Maura said as she too kept her attention on Henry, now bouncing up and down in her fiancé's arms.

"It was hard enough keeping her out of the room for Maura's insemination. You really think you're gonna be allowed to plan our party without her?" Jane asked, giving Emma a pointed look.

"So, your mother is still really involved in your life still then, huh?" Ingrid contributed.

"Yes," Maura and Jane answered her in unison.

"I suddenly remember her when you three moved into that apartment just off campus," Ingrid reminisced with a chuckle.

"Oh yeah, she tried to set my and Maur's room up for us before we even had everything moved in," Jane chuckled as she too remembered that day. "She can be a little overbearing sometimes but-"

"That's just Angela," Maura finished. "And we love her."

Emma smiled at their synchronization. "So Mom, are there any houses for sale in the neighborhood? Jane and Maura are thinking about moving here soon?"

Both women immediately whipped their heads in Emma's direction to look at her and grin. Emma smirked as she turned to leave the room to gather up Henry's things so they could all get going back to Regina's (and now also her) house.

"Well, actually now that you mention it, the Martins down the street are finally moving down to Florida. They've been complaining about the colder weather for years and all of their children live pretty far away," Emma heard her mother informing the couple as she walked away.

* * *

Emma, Henry, Maura and Jane pulled up behind Regina's car in the driveway. Jane whistled her admiration as she got a good look at the Mercedes. "Swan, how does your lady afford such a nice car on a librarian's salary?"

Emma chuckled. "Actually, it was a wedding present from her parents," she answered.

"Regina was married before?" Maura asked. "She's so young to be a divorcee," she further commented.

"Wait, was she married to a man before?" Jane asked eagerly.

"Yes, she was married before and yes to a man, but she's always been gay. Any more super personal questions I can answer for you in the car before we go in and you possibly embarrass not only yourselves but me by association?" Emma said, looking at Jane thru the rearview mirror and then turning to look at Maura.

"No," the two said in unison, sensing and respecting Emma's tone.

Henry who all of the adults had forgotten was still in the car, suddenly said, "Luce's Daddy Daniel died before she was born."

"Oh," Maura and Jane both said softly.

"Well that gets that out of the way. Let's get you inside so you can say hi to Regina and Luce, bud," Emma said as she got out of the car to get Henry out of his car seat. As soon as he was free, Henry darted for the front door and was thru it and inside the house before the other two women were even fully out of the car. Emma got Henry's stuff out of the trunk and walked up the path with her two friends following closely behind her. Before she could step thru the door though, Jane grabbed her shoulder and turned her around to face them. "Sorry about all that, Em."

"Yes, we didn't mean to offend you," Maura stated.

"It's okay, guys. Sometimes I forget how much Regina's been through and you just unexpectedly brought that back to mind. But really, it's okay. And you would have found out eventually. What, with us hanging out so much once you buy that house near my mom's right?" Emma said with a grin as she turned to go into the house.

As they all walked inside, they heard Henry sprinting back down the stairs calling Luce and Regina's names. When he spotted his mother again he said, "Mommy they're not upstairs!"

"Well, bud, they're probably in their favorite room of the house then," Emma said with a chuckle as she shut and locked the door behind them.

"Oh yeah, the kitchen!" Henry yelled as he took off to the aforementioned room.

Jane and Maura laughed as they followed Emma towards the kitchen to witness the happy reunion. "He's adorable," Maura stated as she took Jane's hand.

"Yeah you can't deny the kid is cute," Jane agreed.

After hearing Henry yell, "Hi Gina, hi Luce!" they entered the kitchen to find the two toddlers hugging each other fiercely. Regina stood behind them with a look of pure adoration on her face. As Emma walked over to greet her with a kiss, Henry quickly let go of Luce and turned to Regina making the motion for her to pick him up, which she happily obliged. She lifted him up kissing his cheek as she brought him in for a tight hug. When Luce turned around and spotted Emma she immediately ran for her and Emma bent down to hug and kiss her and then stood up with her in her arms. "I missed you too, Emma!" Luce exclaimed as she hugged Emma back with her eyes closed.

All Jane and Maura could do was stand in the doorway and beam at this perfect little family. Soon enough, Lucy noticed the two women standing at the kitchen's entrance. "Who's that, mama?" she asked, addressing Emma.

Emma smiled as she was still getting used to, but never tired of, this new designation that Lucy had only recently begun to use. "Luce, this is Jane and Maura. Two of mama's oldest friends." She walked closer to the two women as she kissed Luce on the temple.

"Are they who you and mommy are planning a party for?" she asked, looking at Emma.

"Yes, sweetheart. That's them."

"Man your kids are smart!" Jane said.

"No, they're just very observant," Regina chuckled as she finally put Henry down.

"I guess you really have to be careful what you say around them, huh? Seriously though how do you guys get any alone time to have S-E-X?" Jane tried to whisper the last part as she spelled it but somehow Henry had still heard her.

"What's sex, Gina?" Henry asked, looking up at the brunette. Both mothers blushed before both giving Jane an incredulous and exasperated look.

"Sorry," Jane said with a grimace.

"Well it's..." Regina attempted to answer.

"Uncle Jeff says it's something that grown-ups do for fun. And that mommy will tell me more when I'm older. Right mommy?" Luce asked as she turned in Emma's arms to face her mother for approval of her answer.

Regina exhaled as she laughed lightly. "Yes, mija, that's exactly right. Why don't you and Henry see if you can get his bags up to his room?"

"Okay!"

Emma put Lucy down and the two children raced each other out of the kitchen.

"Bye, Luce!" Maura called after them. "It was very nice to meet you!"

"Maur, you don't have to be so proper. They're children," Jane chuckled.

Emma walked over to Regina to finally give her a proper hello. She lightly held her hips as she kissed the brunette softly on the lips. Regina reciprocated as she held onto Emma's biceps. The two women released each other and they both walked towards the fridge.

"Jane, do you want a fresh beer?" Emma asked as she beat Regina to the refrigerator and playfully bumped her aside with her hip. Regina instinctively shoved Emma lightly on the shoulder.

"Sure, thanks. Hey it's almost time for the Monday Night Football game..." she suggested after she looked at her watch.

"Yeah, you're right," Emma replied. "Babe, is it okay if she stays for a little bit and watches with me...?" Emma asked.

"Yes, that would be fine, Em," Regina answered with a chuckle. "I guess Maura and I are supposed to amuse ourselves with something else then while you and Jane watch the game?" she asked with a smirk.

"Yup! K, bye," Emma said as she quickly kissed Regina on the cheek and walked swiftly past Maura and Jane out of the room. Jane couldn't help but to laugh at her.

"Maur look, if you run out of dorky things to talk about with the librarian, there's a tv in here too. So you'll be fine," Jane said as she kissed Maura's temple and went to join Emma in the living room.

Maura smiled and walked towards Regina as she said, "I'm a little shocked to see that you have a television in your kitchen. No offense, but from the décor throughout the rest of your home, you didn't strike me as the type."

Regina chuckled lightly. "No offense taken, Maura. And you're right. There wasn't a television in my kitchen before Emma unofficially moved in here," Regina responded. "You know it's funny, she already has half of her and Henry's wardrobes here. She comes here most nights right after work. Yet I just officially gave her a key this past weekend," Regina mused.

"Yes, I noticed that you told the children to take Henry's bags up to his room," Maura stated with a grin.

"The room that has his name on the door just like Luce's," Regina said as she shook her head in amusement. "Anyway, I was actually going to do a little bit of baking to unwind. Would you like to help me?"

"Yes. That sounds like fun. I like to do a little experimenting in the culinary arts myself," Maura stated excitedly. "I'm always looking for new and interesting recipes and combinations. Mostly to get Jane to eat more healthily."

"I hear you. Those two eat like teenaged boys. Am I right?"

"That's a pretty fair assessment, yes," Maura chuckled in response. "Probably mostly due to their high metabolisms. Jane's always been skinny though. And she likes to stay in shape in case she has to chase down the occasional perp. How is Emma doing now that she's a Sheriff's Deputy?"

"Well to be honest, Maura, she's not as physically fit at she used to be. I mean from when she was a bounty hunter, that is," Regina said as she began taking out the bowls, utensils and cookie sheets that they would need.

"I would imagine not. And what effect has her new physical condition had on your lovemaking?" Maura asked off-handedly as she picked up the remote control. "Regina, what channel is Nat Geo? There's a special on extinct creatures that I really wanted to catch."

Regina had stopped what she was doing in response to Maura's first question but had then smiled and let it go. Ultimately, she decided to merely answer Maura's question. "To be honest, it hasn't at all hindered our relationship in the bedroom but I do find that I'm more aggressive with her physically. But she hasn't complained about that as far as I know. I'm pretty sure it's actually more of a turn on for her," Regina stated honestly. "How is your and Jane's intimate relationship? If you don't mind my asking...?" Regina caught herself saying.

But before she could even second guess herself Maura merely replied, "Oh Jane and I have always been incredibly compatible in bed. I've never had a sexual partner like her. She's constantly gentle and attentive to all of my needs. I try not to keep count but it's very hard for me not to keep track of the fact that she's given me far more orgasms than I've given her in our time together. She actually likes to cuddle more than actually having sex," Maura finished with a small smile.

"Well I don't know Jane that well but that's certainly something that I wouldn't really expect from her," Regina said as she leaned back against her counter. "Maura can I ask you, are you a genius?"

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"No reason," Regina responded with a smile. "Nat Geo is channel 623."

"Thank you. And I'm sure you'll get to know us better after we move to Storybrooke," Maura stated as she put the remote down on the island and walked over to Regina. "The special doesn't come on for a little while yet," she said with a smile. "So. What are we baking?"

Regina smiled and shook her head lightly as she pushed herself off of the counter and turned back around towards it. "I'm in the mood for snickerdoodles. Emma and my children love those. Do you like them?"


	23. Chapter 23

Moving day! A lot of characters get to interact here!

* * *

"Wow for only living in an apartment, you sure do have a lot of stuff!" Ruby said as she dropped yet another box on the floor in the foyer.

"Yeah. And apparently, I left a lot of my stuff at my mom's house that I'd forgotten about so she'll be over here soon with some of that. But thanks again, Rubes. I really appreciate the help," Emma said as she went to go close the door behind her. Before she could she noticed some unexpected guests walking up the path. "Jane, Maur! What are you guys doing here?!"

"Oh, Regina didn't tell you?" Maura asked. "She invited us over for lunch."

"Yeah and just to hang out," Jane added with a grin.

Right on cue, Regina walked up behind Emma and greeted the two women. "Hey ladies! Glad you could come," she said with a smile.

"Babe, you didn't tell me that they were coming over today," Emma said as she turned toward Regina to address her.

"I wanted it to be a bit of a moving day surprise for you, dear," she replied as she gave Emma a peck on the cheek and their two guests entered the house.

Ruby cleared her throat dramatically once everyone was in the house and the door was closed.

"Oh. Yeah. Maura. Jane. This is Ruby, my best friend since I moved into my apartment."

Ruby stepped forward to shake Jane's and Maura's hands hello. "Yup, we actually met her first day there and I ended up helping her move in there too."

Jane chuckled. "Well then I guess it's only right that you helped her move out of there and into this place, huh?"

"Yeah, pretty much. So, you're _the_ Maura and Jane? Em's college roommates...?" Ruby asked.

"Uh huh. Well, Swan and I go way back to high school even," Jane answered as they all naturally made their way into the living room.

"Oh that's cool," Ruby responded as they sat down. "Regina, I can't believe that you let Emma keep her recliner and love sofa and move them in here," Ruby commented as she plopped down in her favorite spot on said love sofa.

"Well she didn't have much else in the way of furniture, so I caved," Regina responded.

"Yeah, I mean, it's not like I had to move my bed or anything else big in here," Emma said as she sat down in her beloved La-Z-Boy and made the motion for Regina to sit on her lap. Jane and Maura sat down together last on the couch. As Regina adjusted herself by putting her legs up on one arm of the chair and looped her arm around Emma's neck, Ruby looked at them and said, "Really, you two? You couldn't just sit on the couch next to Jane and Maura instead of being all cuddled up in a chair that is specifically made for one person?" she asked in mock disgust. Maura and Jane both immediately laughed in agreement with Ruby's observation.

"Don't hate, Rubes. And what are you two laughing about? I noticed how you just happened to show up after all of the heavy lifting was done," Emma said with a smirk and a knowing raise of her eyebrows in their direction.

"Hey, I was only protecting Maur from having to do too much," Jane quickly responded.

"Yes, and Regina invited us over at a specific time. It would've been rude of us to show up too much earlier than that," Maura added with a nod in Emma's direction.

"I'm just kidding guys," Emma chuckled.

Just then all five ladies heard Henry and Lucy clamoring down the stairs before they were joined by the excited toddlers who surprised Emma and Regina by running right over to Jane and Maura and jumping onto the couch into their laps as a way of saying hello. The two women gladly accepted their warm welcomes.

"Mommy, mama, what are we having for lunch?" Lucy asked as she finally settled herself comfortably in Jane's lap.

"Great question, Luce," Ruby stated with a wide smile.

Emma was interrupted from answering her daughter's question when her phone rang. She released one arm from holding Regina and reached around to her back pocket simultaneously lifting her hip a little so that she could see who was calling her. After a quick glance at the screen, she answered it. "Hey, Mom. No, yeah, I'm all moved out of the apartment. Yeah. You can bring my stuff around here whenever you want. We're just hanging out here. Gina invited Maura and Jane over too. Okay. See ya soon. Love you too. Bye."

"Oooo...your mom's coming over? It's been awhile since I've seen her," Ruby said in a tone that struck Emma as kind of creepy.

"Oh yeah I forgot that you've always had a thing for her too," Emma said in a flat tone.

"See, Em, we're not the only ones who recognize the hotness that is your mom," Jane said as she gave a look of approval in Ruby's direction.

Regina couldn't help but to giggle at the turn this conversation was taking. She decided to get up to go prepare some lunch for everyone. As she was leaving the room Emma called after her, "Oh, okay. So you're just going to leave me here with this then?! Thanks, babe!"

"You'll be fine defending your mother's honor, dear," Regina replied over her shoulder before she called for her children to join her to help her out in the kitchen. The two toddlers immediately complied by leaping off of Jane and Maura's laps and sprinting after the brunette.

"Emma, you have to admit that Ingrid is a beautiful woman," Maura picked up the subject.

Emma huffed before saying, "Yes Maur, that's pretty obvious but you guys seeing her as like a sex object is kind of gross for me, okay? At least I know you won't openly hit on her since you're all in happy relationships."

"Wait...have you had friends that have done that in the past?" Ruby asked, clearly confused.

"Sadly yes. Both ex-boyfriends and girlfriends. It was super embarrassing as you can imagine," Emma said as she got up to leave the conversation and begin to put the last of the boxes into their respective rooms.

"So, you're the Ruby who's dating the children's librarian where Regina works, right?" Jane asked after Emma was no longer in the room with them.

"Yup! That's me. What else has Em told you about me?" she asked with a confident grin.

"Not much other than the facts that you work at your Grandmother's successful diner, you're bi like Emma and you're pretty much in love with Belle but you haven't had the guts to tell her yet," Maura stated matter-of-factly but with a smile.

Jane couldn't help but to chuckle at her fiancé's honest response. "Don't worry, Rubes. Is it okay if I call you that? I like using people's nicknames." Ruby just nodded her affirmation. "You'll get used to her candor. I'm guessing we'll probably be seeing a lot more of each other in the near future since Maur and I will be moving to Storybrooke ourselves soon," Jane stated with a smile.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to use the bathroom. Again," Maura huffed as she walked swiftly in the direction of the downstairs powder room.

"If you don't mind my asking, is she...?" Ruby began to ask as she pointed in Maura's direction.

"Yes. We'll be adding another member to our little family pretty soon. She's still not showing yet though," Jane responded, grinning proudly.

"Cool. And are you two getting married sooner rather than later?" Ruby inquired.

"Haven't figured that one out yet. You noticed the ring, huh? You're pretty observant. Have you ever thought about a career in law enforcement...may even becoming a detective?"

"Not really, no," Ruby replied.

"Well, I'm sure by the time we finally get our wedding details figured out and Emma and my Ma are done planning our bachelorette party, you'll be invited," Jane replied with a friendly wink.

"Hmmm. Sounds about right," Ruby chuckled in agreement.

"Hey, what are you two talking about in here without me?" Emma asked as she walked back into the room a little winded.

"Regina seems to be right in her assessment that you are in worse shape physically now than you were when you were a bounty hunter. Although, you don't have to worry, Emma. She said that you're lovemaking abilities aren't suffering from your lack of physical conditioning," Maura easily stated as she reentered the room and sat back down next to Jane.

Jane and Ruby looked at each other and then Emma before falling into fits of uncontrollable laughter.

Emma chose to ignore them and instead said, "Good to know...I guess. When were you and Regina discussing our sex lives if you don't mind me asking, Maur?"

"Oh, we got onto the subject when I asked how you were adjusting to your job as a Sheriff's Deputy," Maura answered.

"Yeah, because we all can see how you'd go from that to how it would affect Em and Regina in their bedroom," Jane managed to get out in between her laughter.

"Regina simply told me that it didn't affect you negatively and that you found her superior physical conditioning to be another turn on," Maura stated.

"Maur, I'm begging you. You don't have to continue to relay any more of anything else that came out in this super personal conversation that you and Gina apparently had," Emma said as she shook her head in embarrassment.

"I'd have to disagree with you there, Em," Ruby jumped in, having had time to adjust to Maura and then quickly deciding to egg her on and make Emma even more uncomfortable. "How did the rest of that conversation go exactly, Maura? If you don't mind my asking," she said with a confident smirk.

"Well I ended up relaying to her how Jane is the most compatible lover that I've ever had in my entire life and that she had most definitely and gladly given me way more orgasms than I've given her."

Jane immediately stopped chuckling and the look of amusement on her face was replaced by one of pure embarrassment.

Emma then burst out laughing as Ruby said, "Oh really?"

"Yes," Maura responded. "Oh, and how she likes to cuddle even more than she likes having sex most of the time."

Emma somehow laughed even harder at this admission, actually doubling over to hold her stomach. Jane couldn't help the grin that she wore as she lovingly grabbed Maura around her waist, pulling her even closer to her and kissing her on the temple. "That's my Maura," she said as she shook her head and chuckled proudly.

Lucy and Henry then came running back into the living room to let everyone know that lunch was ready just as they all heard a knock on the door. Emma, still laughing lightly, went to go open it. She was greeted by not only her mother smiling and holding a box, but surprisingly, the Locksley clan and Jefferson, August, and Mulan, her and August's coworker and fellow deputy.

"Hey...everybody," Emma said hesitantly.

Everyone held at least one box marked _Emma's stuff_. Ingrid was the first to step inside. She leaned over and gave Emma a kiss on her cheek in greeting. "Thank goodness some more of your friends showed up at the same time that I did. It would've taken us ages to get all of these boxes into the house by ourselves," Ingrid commented as she walked past her daughter. "Where do you want me to put this, sweetie?"

"Oh, just right over there in that corner is fine for now, Mom, thanks."

Mulan and August were the next ones to enter the house, each with a box in their arms. August whistled in admiration as he looked around. "How have Jeff and I not been over here yet?"

"Yeah, nice digs, Swan," Mulan said as she set her box down right near where Ingrid who had already walked into the living room to greet the already present parties had put hers down.

"Thanks, Mulan," Emma replied. "How have you and Jeff never been here though, August?"

"Well we live and spend most of our time in the city and we mostly just go over to Mom and Dad's house when we're in Storybrooke. So yeah," August responded with a shrug.

Roland and Robyn both walked slowly clearly struggling with their respective boxes. "Thanks, guys," Emma chuckled upon seeing them. "Just put them right over there with the other ones."

"I told them that they were too heavy for them," Robin said as he walked in and lightly kissed Emma's cheek hello. "But they've got this really competitive thing going on lately, I don't know. Hopefully it's just a phase."

Proving that it probably wasn't, Jefferson and Zelena both ran up to the door panting and laughing as they were clearly racing to see who could get to the house first. "I won!" Zelena yelled.

"Uh, I so won!" Jefferson replied. "Em, you saw. Who got to the door first?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm not touching that one," she responded, holding up her palms in defense.

"I think the redhead easily beat him," someone said from behind the siblings. Zelena and Jefferson both turned around and gasped loudly, almost simultaneously dropping their boxes. Emma looked past them and before she could reprimand them for possibly damaging some of her possessions she saw the person who they were now staring at in shock. Maleficent gave a small, shy wave in their direction as Lily walked up behind her holding what looked to be a gift box.

"Maleficent?" Zelena and Jefferson said softly in unison.

"Hey Jeff, hey Z," she said with a shy smile. "Nice to see you guys again. Oh my god Jeff, I'm just realizing that the last time I saw you you were practically still in diapers."

"Well I wasn't that young but-" He didn't get to finish his sentence as Zelena jabbed him in the side with her elbow to shut him up.

"Hey Em," Lily said as she walked past her mother. "Is Regina home? We just wanted to drop off this housewarming gift for you before we leave."

"Leave? Where are you going?" Regina asked.

Emma, Jefferson and Zelena all turned around to acknowledge Regina's sudden presence. She had apparently joined them without their knowledge when they were all staring at Maleficent.

"Did you invite her too?" Emma asked quietly out of the side of her mouth in Regina's direction.

"No, I didn't," she practically whispered in response. "What's the reason for this unannounced visit, Mal?" Regina asked in a louder voice.

Sensing that they probably would want some privacy, Jefferson and Zelena both picked up their boxes and went inside. Emma accepted the gift offered by Lily and they followed the siblings into the house. The door was closed softly behind them. Regina stood on the porch with her arms crossed over her chest wearing a look of consternation on her face, awaiting Maleficent's reply.

"I...uh. I wanted to come by and say how sorry I am personally, in person, about what happened between us," Maleficent said with some hesitance.

"What exactly are you apologizing for? I forgave you for your creepy advances. What else is there to forgive?" Regina asked, uncrossing her arms and stepping off of the porch to stand closer to the blonde.

Maleficent reached out to take both of Regina's hands and held them lightly. "For leaving behind and not sending word to my friend, Reggie, when I was a young pregnant girl," she breathed out.

"Oh. That," Regina replied softly, looking down at the ground, unable to make eye contact.

"Reg- Gina, can you please look at me? Just so I know that you truly understand what I'm saying to you."

Regina slowly lifted up her gaze to look Maleficent in the eye as she nodded her head, urging her to continue.

"I was scared and angry. And then at a certain point I just wanted to cut all ties with my former life and move on. Especially after I had and then gave up Lilith."

"You gave her that name?" Regina whispered out.

"Yes. It was one of the few conditions that I gave my parents. That and that she should be adopted through an agency in the northeast. I don't really know why I gave that last condition actually, now that I think about it," Maleficent chuckled.

"Did you ever even consider saying goodbye to me or letting me know that you were okay even though you were gonna be gone for practically forever?" Regina asked softly.

"Yes, yes! It was one of the first and last things I wanted to take care of before I left. But then it just kind of slipped through the cracks. I know that's a horrible thing to say, but that's the simplest way I can put it, Gina. I loved you so much and I think it hurt me too much to have to say goodbye. For what I thought would be forever. I was selfish and I never even thought through or even began to consider the consequences of my actions. I'm so sorry!" Maleficent wrapped Regina up in a tight hug. Regina hugged her back just as fiercely.

"I forgive you, Mal. And I understand what you were going through," Regina whispered into her ear. "Apparently though your daughter received that leaving in a shitty way gene from you though," she chuckled as the two women stopped hugging but still held each other closely.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, Lily never told you? She broke up with Emma thru a text," Regina responded with a chuckle.

"No she didn't. Really? You know what though, I wouldn't put something like that past her. She told me that she had all of this built up anger about being adopted. I always tried to tell her how lucky she was to be adopted from infancy by a rich couple but-"

Maleficent interrupted herself as she looked past Regina at the beautiful middle-aged, blonde woman who had just exited the house. As soon as Ingrid laid eyes on the scene before her she immediately turned to go back into the house. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt," she said quickly. "I just realized that I left a couple more of Emma's boxes in my car."

"Oh, it's quite alright, Ingrid. Please don't let us stop you," Regina replied as she finally let go of Maleficent and the petite blonde did the same. "How many boxes did your daughter have stored at your house?"

"I don't know," Ingrid huffed as she walked down the path towards them. "I stopped counting after a while."

"Oh, why don't I give you hand with those," Maleficent said eagerly. "Hi, I'm Mal. An old friend of Regina's. You're Emma's mom...?"

"Yes, I am," Ingrid replied, taking the proffered hand. "Thank you. I'm pretty sure there's more than two actually."

"Great. Well that'll give us more of an excuse to get to know each other a little better than," Maleficent said with a wink and a sly grin. Regina gave her childhood friend a skeptical look but decided to let it go. She was actually very interested to see how this was going to play out.

"Okay. Well I'll leave you two to it then. I'll see you back in the house. I'm just realizing how hungry I am. And...that I now have to prepare food for an entire household full of people. Maybe I'll just order some pizzas..." she pondered as she walked away from the two blonde women.

"So," Maleficent said as she placed her hand gently on Ingrid's back as they continued to walk down the path together. "Which car is yours?"

"It's the red Volvo just down here," she answered with an easy smile on her face. "Is Mal short for something?"

"Yes. My full name is Maleficent but most people find that to be a mouthful."

"Well I think it's an absolutely beautiful name."

"Thank you very much," Maleficent chuckled. "Would you believe me if I told you you're the first person to ever tell me that."

"Mmmm...not really. But I would believe that you're flirting with me right now."

"And how would you know that? You've only just met me," Maleficent said with looks of faux shock and offense.

Ingrid laughed lightly. "Well I'd like to get to know you better. Maybe over dinner?"

"If you're asking the woman that you've just met a few minutes ago out on a date. Then I, being she, would definitely have to say yes," Maleficent replied with a confident grin.

* * *

Regina was met by an anxious Emma as soon as she walked thru the door. "Hey, babe, are you okay...? Don't be mad but I kind of sent my mom out there to see what was going on..." she admitted with a grimace.

"It's okay, Em," Regina chuckled. "I understand and everything's okay now. But I don't know how okay you're going to be with the fact that I'm pretty sure Mal was flirting with your mom. Quite obviously, I might add," Regina said as she walked toward the living room. She smiled widely as she surveyed the impromptu gathering of her friends and family before her as she took a deep breath. Emma walked up behind her wrapping her arms around her waist and putting her chin on her shoulder.

"Don't worry babe. We already ordered pizzas. Surprisingly easily too since no one here is super picky about anything. Maur, of course, ordered a vegetarian one but I figured you could just share that one with her," Emma stated as she kissed Regina on the neck before letting her go and walking ahead of her.

"Wait, what? Why would you think that? She's Jane's pregnant fiancé. She should have to suffer with her, not me. I like meat on my pizza. You know that!" Regina continued to whine as she walked after a grinning Emma.

* * *

About 45 minutes later, everyone was gathered in the kitchen to eat. Paper plates and plastic cups were passed around before everyone picked out their slices, filled their cups and went off to different parts of the house to eat.

"Hey where did Mulan get off to? You two still haven't officially met yet, right?" Emma asked in Regina's direction. Regina just shrugged her shoulders in response from her seat next to Emma at the island.

"I saw her going off in the direction of Regina's office with that Lily chick," Ruby answered through a mouthful of food.

"Nah uh," Emma replied, shaking her head vehemently. "I don't think I like that."

"If you can get over your mom going out with Mal, I think you can get over your coworker and you ex possibly seeing each other. At least they're closer in age than you two were. Maybe they can make it work better than you could," Regina suggested with a shrug.

"Whatever. It still weirds me out, man," Emma replied with a dramatic shiver.

"Dude calm down," Ruby said in response. "You should be happy for them. Anyway, I've got to slide out of here after I'm done eating. I'm meeting Belle soon at her place."

"What?! I thought you were gonna stay and hang out!"

"Em, it's Saturday night and I'd rather spend it with my girl than with a houseful of people, though I love you all very much," Ruby said with a unnecessarily large grin. "I'm really looking forward to some Netflix and chill time with my woman."

"I hear that!" Jane responded from the other side of the island. "Maur and I did some of that last night too."

"Nice!" Ruby said and stood up a little to high five Jane who happily reciprocated.

"Wow. You two are definitely gonna be trouble whenever you're together. I can just see it," Emma sighed.

They both laughed and continued eating.

"You know it!" Ruby said, lifting her slice towards Emma in agreement.

"And why are you so comfortable giving out that kind of information about you and Maur all of a sudden now? You've always been private ever since I've known you," Emma said to Jane.

"Well since Maur kind of outed me to you, Gina and Rubes for the big softie that I am I figured there's no reason to hide anything about our relationship from you anymore."

"I mean, she did sort of release the floodgates with her comments earlier so..." Ruby added.

"Yeah, Gina, what was up with that?"

"What was up with what, dear?"

"When did you and Maur have this heart to heart about our and hers and Jane's love lives? Sorry, bedroom activities?"

Regina chuckled. "Well you know Maura. She was actually the one to bring it up in her usual manner. And figured I'd just be polite and answer her," Regina stated with a shrug of her shoulders. "I didn't go into any specifics."

"Thank God you didn't because she definitely would have repeated those to us, I'm sure," Ruby said with a chuckle.

"I'm glad we didn't somehow get into favorite positions because hearing that Jane is a massive cuddler was enough shocking information for me for one night," Regina stated with a small laugh.

Emma dropped her slice of pizza down dramatically on her plate, "Regina, why would that even have come up?!"

"Oooo, she called you by your real name," Ruby singsonged.

"Calm down, love. And finish your pizza. You know that I know Maura well enough now not to get into certain kinds of conversations with her."

"Yeah, Em, calm down. Gina here is smart enough to know what not to say to Maur. Jeez, it sounds like I trust her more than you do," Jane said as she took a massive bite in an attempt to finish off her slice. "Though thank God the fact that I like to give it to her from behind the best is a fact that didn't come up," Jane said more to herself than anyone in particular. But all three women at the table had clearly heard her.

"WHAT?! You know we could all hear that right?! Oh my God, I'll never look at you and Maur the same ever again like every time that I see you now! Why, Jane?!" Emma practically shouted as she dramatically got up to get herself another slice of pepperoni.

Regina and Ruby tried but failed to hold in their amusement at Emma's revulsion.

"When did she become such a prude?" Jane said, taking a hardy sip of her drink to wash the pizza down.

"I don't know," Regina chuckled. "I think it's just weird for her to picture two of her best friends going at it."

"Yeah, I can see that. Anyway. So, Rubes what are you going to put on Netflix before you start _chilling_ with Belle? Who by the way, I'm assuming I'll meet at some point in the near future."

"Well I was thinking about something light like _Friends_. Or, you know, definitely something that doesn't take any actual effort to watch or that she's really into so it'll be easier for me to distract her from it, if you know what I mean," Ruby answered with quirk of her eyebrows.

"I think we both know what you mean," Regina said in an unamused tone. "Em, do you hear your friend?"

Unbeknownst to Jane, Ruby and Regina, Emma had long ago left the room with her plate to move into another part of the house to finish her meal.

"Oh she'll get over it," Jane said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I say you go with something super cute like _Gilmore Girls_ so you can really like cuddle up together and then with the closer proximity it'll be way easier to initiate something."

"Hmmm...I don't know about that though," Regina added. "I'm pretty sure Belle loves that show as much as I do because we've talked about it a lot at work. And if she's anything like me I always actively watch it. Like I don't think even Emma's horniness could distract me from it."

"Good point, Gina. Thanks, I'll keep that in mind tonight," Ruby replied with an affirmative nod of her head.

"So how serious are you and this Belle girl that I've yet to meet?" Jane asked.

"Oh, Jane. Belle is all woman, let me tell you." Regina almost spit out her food from laughter.

"Shut up, Gina," Ruby chuckled. "I'd say we're pretty serious now. Clothes and toothbrushes at each other's place. Not sleeping apart for more than one night serious. If that answers your question."

"So you'll definitely be bringing her with you to our wedding then?"

"Wait. When did she get invited to your wedding?" Regina asked skeptically.

"Keep up, Gina. Can't you see that we're practically the same person. Man..." Jane said in a dramatic, exasperated tone.

Regina could only grin and shake her head at Jane.


	24. Chapter 24

"Hey there, gorgeous," Ruby said with a giant grin as she stepped thru the door, giving Belle a short but very sweet kiss on the lips.

"Hey, Red," Belle responded. "What's that you've got behind you back?"

Ruby smoothly brought her hand forward as she offered Belle a small bouquet of a combination of red roses and lilies.

"Oh, they're beautiful!" Belle exclaimed as she happily took the bouquet from her thoughtful girlfriend who apparently was feeling very romantic this evening. "Let me just go and quickly put these into some water."

"Sure, baby. I'm gonna go and get Netflix all set up for us," Ruby called to her girlfriend through her small yet adorable apartment. It was actually a tiny little stand alone structure that always made Ruby think of a house straight out of a fairy tale, which suited her children's librarian girlfriend almost perfectly.

"So," Belle said as she gracefully sat down and joined Ruby on her small yet cozy couch. "What are we watching, love?"

Ruby couldn't help the full-blown smile that spread across her face. "One of my absolute faves that you've somehow never seen. _Imagine Me & You_. You're gonna love it. Trust me, baby," Ruby stated confidently as she settled back into the couch naturally putting her arm around her girlfriend.

Belle read the synopsis quickly before Ruby started the movie. "Wait, is the actress that plays Cersei Lannister one of the leads?!"

"Yes," Ruby chuckled in response. "But she looks completely different. Don't worry, it'll be easy for you to get past only seeing her as Cersei and all of her evil plotting."

"Oh but you know she's one of my favorite characters on that show. I'm sure she'll be amazing in this too. What made you pick this one, love?"

"Well it hit me that you've never gotten to see the gloriousness that is this movie while I was buying those flowers for you."

"I'm pretty sure that's not a word, Red. And I thought you wanted to chill more than actually watch Netflix," Belle said with a knowing quirk of her brow in Ruby's direction.

Ruby couldn't help but chuckle at her girlfriend's astute powers of observation. "Well, maybe I changed my mind. I have the right to do that don't I?" she asked with a playful grin.

* * *

The two had settled down to cuddle and watch the movie but a scene with the newly married couple purchasing a new sofa from an auction had Belle asking, "So how did moving day go for Emma and Regina?"

"It went well. She definitely owes me one though. I don't understand how she had so much stuff in her apartment. I mean, it's the same exact size as mine. And I know I don't own that much crap."

Belle chuckled. "Well she does have a child, love. I think you're forgetting that fact."

"I guess. Whatever. Oh, but I did get to finally meet the famous Maura and Jane!" Ruby suddenly remembered.

"Oh, really?! Awesome! Were they as cool as you'd hoped they would be?"

"Yeah, pretty much. I mean, Maura's clearly on the spectrum, but I think she's like a genius or something. We were unofficially, but soon to be officially, invited to their wedding and probably their bachelorette party too."

"Well that's nice."

"Yup. Jane's really excited to meet you for some reason actually."

"Hmmm. Well then why don't we go over there and say hello. I've never been to Regina's house or met any of her family besides her sister and her niece. Plus, I'll get to officially meet Jane and Maura too."

"Are you sure, baby? I mean, we don't have to if you don't want to. Don't you want to try to finish the movie...? The end is the best part," Ruby said in a whiny, needy voice.

"No, Red, it's not going anywhere," Belle chuckled. "And to be honest, I was a little bit bored…" Belle said as she looked away guiltily and then made to get up off of the couch.

"WHAT?! That's blasphemous! How could you not think that it's one of the cutest movies ever? Lesbian or otherwise?"

"Well, it's no _Kiss Me_ , but it was alright."

"What is that?! I've never even heard of it."

"It's on Netflix, too. We'll watch it right after we get to finish your movie and you can let me know what you think then. C'mon. Are you coming with me or staying here to finish a movie I'm sure you've seen a hundred times?"

Belle was already standing by her front door with her coat on and her purse in hand, clearly ready to set off to Regina's.

* * *

When they arrived Belle was a little taken aback by the sheer amount of noise, and evidently, people in the house. Henry was the first one to greet the new arrivals. "Ruby, you back!" he cried happily as he ran at her with his arms outstretched. Ruby knelt down meeting him with a tight hug. It was then that Henry noticed who was standing with her. "Miss Belle! You here too!"

"Yes, I am," Belle chuckled. "Hello, Henry. How are you doing today?"

"Awesome! Me and my mommy live here now! Do you wanna see my room?"

"Maybe she can later, pal," Ruby chuckled in response. "We're gonna go and hang out with the adults first though. Okay, Hen?"

"Okay!" he replied. He continued to stand before the two women as Belle looked around taking in all of the people, most of whom she figured that she had yet to meet.

She took a deep breath and shrugged off her coat, handing it to Ruby to deposit somewhere safely. "Here, Red. Oh and take my purse too."

Henry, upon hearing Belle's pet name for Ruby, looked up at the librarian as he asked, "Why did you call her Red? Her name's Ruby."

Ruby's cheeks immediately turned dark but Belle just laughed before she gave him an appropriate answer. "Well, Henry, you know how yours and mine and Ruby's hair on our heads is brown?"

"Yes!" Henry eagerly responded.

"Well your Auntie Ruby has hair on other parts of her body that are red instead of brown," Belle answered honestly.

"Okay!" Henry easily accepted her answer before he ran back off in the direction that the had originally come from.

Regina, who had unintentionally yet stealthily walked up behind the two women as they were talking with Henry, couldn't help laughing as she caught the end of the exchange. "What part of your body would that be exactly, Rubes?"

Ruby just walked away to put her and Belle's belongings away in a closet; not answering Regina but still blushing deeply.

"I'm sorry, love," Belle called out after her. "Hi, Regina. You have a lovely home. I hope it's okay that I stopped by unannounced."

"Hey, Belle. Thank you. And yes, of course it's okay. You're always welcome here. Why don't you follow me and I'll introduce you to everyone else. They're all mostly in the living room."

Belle nodded and walked behind Regina as she entered her living room.

"Thanks for grabbing that hopefully last box, babe," Emma said from her seat in her recliner. "Hey, Belle! What are you doing here?"

Belle stepped more completely out from behind Regina to respond. "Hey, Emma. I just stopped by with Ruby to say hello. I didn't realize that I'd be coming into a such a large get together though," she said as she smiled and looked around the room. "Now which one of you is Jane? I hear that you're excited to finally meet me," she stated to no one in particular.

"Hey, that's me!" Jane immediately responded as she stood up off of the couch to face Belle. "Well, aren't you adorable. Nicely done, Rubes!" Jane said to her new friend as she had just rejoined her girlfriend. The two instinctively high fived each other. Ruby shrugged her shoulders sheepishly when Belle gave her a look at their exchange.

"Just ignore them, Belle," Emma stated with a roll of her eyes. "Apparently those two are like a couple of dude-bros whenever they're around each other now. Did you have dinner? There's still some leftover pizza if you're hungry."

"That's sounds wonderful actually. I could definitely go for some pizza."

Emma jumped up from her seat. "Okay. Follow me to the kitchen and we'll get a you plate and a drink of some sort," Emma said with a smile.

Belle followed her and stated to the room in general, "I guess I'll more officially meet the rest of you when I come back!"

She left the room to a chorus of "Sures!" and "Yeahs!"

Out of nowhere, Ruby ran and jumped over the back of the couch and landed next to Jane with a proud grin on her face.

Regina having just witnessed this, decided that as good of a mood that she was in, she could not let this infraction go without punishment. "Miss Lucas, are you serious right now? Did you really just jump onto my couch like a child?!

Ruby immediately ducked her head and apologized.

"Ooooo...somebody's in trouble now…" Jane said with a laugh as she softly bumped Ruby's shoulder with her own.

Regina decided to go upstairs to check on the children. All of whom were currently occupying themselves happily in Lucy, and now also Henry's, playroom. As soon as she left the room, Ruby brightened up. "So. What are we watching?!"

Maura, whose eyes were glued to the screen, passed a small bowl of popcorn across Jane to Ruby as she answered. "I don't know but it's simply fascinating!"

"Really guys?" Ruby addressed all of the other adults in the room who were scattered throughout it either on the floor or on various pieces of furniture. " _Finding Nemo?_ I mean, yeah it's a classic but we can't we watch something a little less G rated…?"

She was immediately shushed by most of the room.

Belle walked back in with a couple of slices of pizza and a red plastic cup to join her girlfriend on the couch. "Cool! I love this one! It's probably my favorite Pixar film!"

Ruby sighed as she settled herself deeper into the couch. "Leave it to the children's librarian to love a Disney kids movie."

"What are you talking about, Red? You love this movie too. I believe you even said that though you love Ellen, _Finding Dory_ couldn't hold a candle to it when we saw in theaters," Belle retorted with a knowing smirk.

"Alright, pipe down over there!" Zelena responded. She was sitting comfortably in between her husband's legs as they leaned back against the side of Regina's comfy chair.

"I'd have to agree with my wife," Robin chuckled.

August and Jefferson who were somehow smushed together and both sitting in said comfy chair laughed at the exchange. "Wait," August then said. "Rubes...did Belle just call you Red...?"

"Huh? I don't know what you're talking about, dude," Ruby quickly dismissed him. "Now watch the movie. You're ruining one of my favorite parts!"

"Oh I can answer that question for you," Regina said as she reentered the room and sat back in the recliner back in Emma's lap.

"It's not even that interesting…," Ruby said as she tried to ignore Regina and really concentrate on watching and enjoying the movie.

"Oh I think it is," Regina responded. She grinned evilly just as she looked directly at Ruby. "This is your punishment for jumping on my furniture like an immature teenager," she stated.

"Wait. What happened?" Emma suddenly chimed in, more invested in the conversation than before. Regina grabbed the remote from her girlfriend and paused the movie amid boisterious protesting from the room, but thereby making sure that she had everyone's full attention.

"Belle?"

"Yes," she responded with a mouthful of pizza. She quickly took a sip of her drink and swallowed her hardy bite before responding again. "Yes, Regina?"

"You still owe me one for covering for you with Kat last week when you were super late for that new program. And I'm just assuming that it was Ruby there that made you that late, right?"

"Yeah….," the small brunette responded apprehensively.

"Well I'm calling that favor in. Would you mind telling us why you so lovingly call Ruby Red sometimes?" Regina's grin only grew more evil as she looked at Ruby as she had begun to squirm uncontrollably in her seat.

Literally everyone's eyes were on Belle at that moment. "Sorry, love, but she did cover my ass that day. Kat was on a rampage that week," she said guiltily. She then cleared her throat in order to speak in a louder voice so everyone could hear her clearly and she wouldn't have to repeat herself and further embarrass her already super embarrassed girlfriend, who was actually now handling this little show quite well.

"Go ahead, baby," Ruby relented and said into Belle's shoulder blade where she was currently hiding her face from the room.

"Well, in the beginning of our relationship it had come out in some conversation or another that I've always had a thing for redheads," Belle began.

Before Zelena could even think of a snide remark for that bit of information, Regina shut her older sister down. "Save it, Z. Go on, Belle," she said with a kind smile.

"So Ruby was still in the trying to impress me stage and we were really close to making love for the first time and…"

"Oh, I think I see where this is going…," Jane said quietly as she grimaced and patted Ruby on her shoulder in solidation.

"Me too, honey," Maura added brightly.

"Yeah...so she didn't want to fully commit to dying the hair on her head because she didn't want to mess it up somehow or hear any criticism from her Granny. So she instead decided to dye all of the hair she had that's much lower on her body…" Belle finished.

Emma and Regina were the first ones to laugh out loud. About three seconds later all of the other adults finally caught on to what Belle was insinuating and also started to laugh.

Ruby finally lifted her head from behind Belle's shoulder and decided to defend herself. "Oh hardy har har! Laugh it up, guys. You're really gonna tell me that none of you have ever done something dumb like that for the person that you love. And don't try to deny it because I've got dirt on practically everyone here but Maura and Jane at this point!" Ruby said, pointing her finger at everyone around the room.

"Hey, what'd we miss? What's so funny?" Mulan asked as she and Lily entered the room.

"Where have you two been this whole time?" Emma asked.

"Just hanging out in Regina's office. Getting to know each other a little better," Lily answered with a huge smile on her face. Mulan blushed a little at her response. "So what was so funny?" she said, trying to change the subject back.

"Well Ruby-" Emma began, nodding her head in her friend's direction.

"Did you just say that you loved me?" Belle asked Ruby softly.

Once again all of the eyes in the room were on the couple.

Ruby shrugged her shoulders and grinned widely as she replied, "Yeah I guess so." She lifted her hand and ran her fingers through Belle's hair softly and the two instinctively leaned in closer to each other. "I love you, Belle French."

"I love you too, Ruby Lucas." The two were completely immersed in each other, ignoring everyone else in the room. They closed the tiny distance remaining between them to seal their confessions with a short but sweet kiss. "It took you long enough," Belle whispered into Ruby ear as she hugged her.

Everyone but Jane, who had swiftly grabbed Belle's plate and cup from her, began to clap for the couple. At the sound of the applause, the spell that the two women were under broke and they smiled shyly at each other and everyone else.

"Awwww...good for you, Rubes," Emma congratulated her friend. Then glancing at Mulan and Lily a thought suddenly occurred to her. "Hey when did my mom leave, babe?" she quietly asked Regina.

Regina shrugged her shoulders in response but then she noticed Emma still glancing in Lily and Mulan's direction and she realized that she hadn't seen Maleficent in awhile either. "I don't know, Em… Hey, Lily, have you seen your mom around? My house isn't that big."

"Uh, I think I saw her and Ms. Fisher leave a little before you started the movie. Earlier I overheard them saying something about getting an early start on their date," Lily responded with a shrug of her shoulders.

Emma sighed and exhaled dramatically. "Awesome, I think they probably went back to my mom's house."

"How do you know that?" Regina asked, genuinely confused.

"Because I know my mom and if she's as into Mal as you said you thought she was earlier than she wouldn't really waste any time. It's not her style. She probably invited her back to her place for a drink. And once again, I _really_ don't want to picture what could have possibly gone down after that," Emma said with a grimace.

Mulan chuckled, "And on that note, we're gonna go now."

"Go where?" Emma asked.

"I think I'm gonna show her my new apartment," Mulan said with a wink. She and Lily then said goodbye to the rest of the room and proceeded to walk out hand in hand.

"And now I get to have the image of those two doing it in my old bed. Apparently it's now my lot in life to have the joy of picturing my friends doing it with each," Emma sighed as she slammed her head into the back of her recliner.

"Ew! What the hell are you talking about Em?" Jefferson chimed in.

"Oh, Mulan moved into Emma's place pretty much as soon as she moved out," Regina answered her brother.

"Yeah…. They're probably gonna christen that bed sometime real soon," August answered with a grin.

"Okay!" Emma said as she snatched the remote from Regina. "Back to the movie. This lovely children's film where no one gets together or even kisses."

"Yeah I don't know why they didn't get Marlin and Dory together," Ruby commented.

Belle snuggled up closer into her girlfriend's embrace. "I don't know, Red."

"Well they do pretty much end up being a family in the end there so," Jane said with a mouthful of food as she had decided to finish Belle's pizza.

"Jane, are you eating the rest of Belle's food for her?" Zelena chuckled.

"Yeah, well, she's clearly busy with her newly declared love over here. So I thought I'd take it off of her hands for her," she said as she swallowed audibly and gave the redhead a wide smile.

"Zelena, will you and Robin be attending our wedding now?" Maura asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

Robin decided to answer. "Well we just met, Maur," he chuckled in response. "But, sure, why not?"

Regina finally turned all of her attention back to movie as the room quieted down and cuddled even more into Emma. Emma instinctively tightened her hold on the brunette. Regina hummed in pure contentment at her current situation. She had an abundance of new family and friends, all of whom got along great with her old, original ones. Life was good. Hearing Regina's sigh of contentment, Emma said, "I know, babe." She looked around the room and smiled. "We are two lucky ducks," she said as she kissed her girlfriend's cheek.


	25. Chapter 25

Note: A housewarming party for guess who...

* * *

Jane answered the door with a huge smile. "Hey Gina, hey Em! Thanks so much for coming over early to help us set up. We really appreciate it," she said as she stepped aside to let the two women in. "Hey where are my two favorite toddlers? How come they're not with you?"

"They're down the street at my mom's house right now," Emma answered. "They'll be coming over with her. Wow…. Nice digs, Jane," Emma said as she took a good look around.

"Yes. This is very nice," Regina commented. "I love how every house on this block is almost completely different from one another."

"Me too," Maura said as she entered the room to greet her guests. "Where are Henry and Luce?" Maura asked with a slight frown.

"I was just telling Jane how they're with my mom. They'll be here in a little bit when everyone else arrives. And I'm sure Maleficent will be in tow…" Emma sighed.

"Oh so they're just down the street then," Maura replied.

"Still a little bitter about relationship, huh Swan?" Jane said with a chuckle.

"No!" Emma answered like a petulant child. "Anyway, where should we put these?" Emma asked, holding up the presents in her hands.

"In the dining room, right Maur? That's where we're putting the presents?"

"Yes, honey. In the corner on that foldout table. And when you two get back we can give Regina and Emma a proper tour," Maura called out after them.

* * *

"Maura I really like how you've decorated," Regina complimented.

"Thank you, Regina. I think it's coming along nicely. We still have to work out which room will be the baby's so Jane can paint it."

Emma laughed. "So you're just what, like the handywoman around here then? I know you didn't help with any of the decorating," Emma stated, giving Jane a sceptical sidelong look.

"Actually, Em, Jane was very useful in helping me make all of my final color scheme decisions."

Jane immaturely stuck out her tongue at Emma as she wrapped her arm around Maura's waist and pulled her closer to give her a light, loving kiss atop her head. Maura smiled and leaned into her fiancé as the couple continued to make their way around the house.

"And _this_ is the kitchen!" Maura announced proudly.

"Woah. Be honest, babe. Are you jealous right now?" Emma grinned as she looked at Regina, whose mouth had literally dropped open upon entering the large and very modern kitchen.

"I think that's a yes, Swan," Jane chuckled. She finally let go of Maura. "Okay, you and me are going to go out back and set up some more tables and chairs and stuff. And Maur, I'm assuming you want Gina to help you with your final preparations in here, right?"

"Yes. Exactly!"

"Okay, good," Jane huffed. "The backyard's this way, Em," she stated as she walked towards the back door.

"Dude, you are so whipped," Emma said with a chuckle as they exited the house.

"Shut up!" Jane responded with a punch to Emma's shoulder. "I'm just trying to make sure my woman's happy. And….she's been pretty hormonal lately. It's great for sexy times but a bitch for everything else," Jane said with a shake of her head.

"Thank you for that," Emma said with a huff as she stopped in her tracks. "It's only been about a month since I hadn't pictured you and Maur getting it on. Thanks for the refresher.

"Oh stop being so dramatic and help me with these chairs. And grow up a little. If you think I haven't pictured Regina naked a few times, then you're dreaming. That's one of the disadvantages to being a detective. I can't turn off my stupid observant brain sometimes," Jane said as she carried a chair in each hand to a large table.

"Whatever," Emma grumbled. "Why are we even setting up this stuff outside? It's pretty cold already."

"Because Emma, like I said before, what my woman wants my woman gets."

"And…?"

"And because when I asked her the same thing this morning, she pretty much broke down and started crying. So I had to relent and promise to get her favorite ice cream so she wouldn't have a total meltdown."

"Wow," Emma chuckled. "It's that bad now? How are you dealing with all of that?"

"Well like I said it kind of worth in bedroom. Swan, you wouldn't believe how horny Maur is. We tried this brand new position the other night that- Wait, where are you going? I really need your help out here!" Jane called. But Emma had dramatically dropped the chairs she was carrying and turned to walk back into the house. "Fine! I'll just tell Ruby about it later then! Now that girl would appreciate it," she mumbled to herself as she picked up the chairs that Emma had discarded and put them in their places around the table.

"Hey, Em," Regina said with a smile. "Are you done helping Jane outside already….?" she asked in a confused tone.

"Yup! As soon as she started trying to describe a new sex position that she and Maura did the other night, I was out. Where is Maura anyway?"

"Oh she started tearing up when she realized that they probably hadn't bought enough steak for the amount of people that are coming and she left the room sobbing. I figured I'd just give her a little time and some space. I'm assuming her overreaction was hormone related…?" Regina guessed.

"Yeah, that's what Jane was telling me. Which she said she's dealing with so well because of Maura's immense horniness. And that's why she started trying to tell me about some new position."

"Why didn't you let her finish telling you about it? You know I'm always up for anything new in the bedroom. Nevermind. I'll just ask Ruby later. I'm sure Jane'll probably end up telling her about it," Regina said more to herself than to Emma as she continued to put the finishing touches on a dish.

Just then Jane rejoined them from outside. "Not cool, Em. I really could have used your help out there. You know what? You get no dessert later as punishment for abandoning your friend," Jane said as she pointed an accusing finger at the blonde. "Gina, where's Maura?"

"Oh I'm assuming she's upstairs in your bedroom trying to stop herself from crying," Regina repsonded in an amused yet sympathetic tone.

"Oh man," Jane said, shaking her head. "What happened now?"

"She sort of lost it when she realized that there's probably not enough steak for everyone…. Which I told her was fine. There's plenty of other meat options for your guests to enjoy. But she went running out of the room before I could stop her," Regina answered.

Jane sighed heavily. "Alright. I got her. I'll be back in a little bit. People are supposed to start arriving soon," she said under her breath as she looked at her watch and made a hasty exit from the kitchen.

"I guess we're gonna be playing hostess until that situation calms back down," Regina said after Jane had left the room.

"Yup! You don't think she was serious about that dessert thing though, right Gina? I mean, I'm not planning on missing out on my mom's homemade ice cream."

* * *

A few guests did, in fact, end up arriving before Jane and Maura had reappeared so Emma and Regina dutifully greeted them by telling them where to put their presents and letting them know where the appetizers and drinks were. It wasn't until after Jane's brothers and her partners had arrived that Emma noticed that Angela was not at the party.

"Yeah it is kind of shocking that she wasn't already here when we got here," Regina stated.

"Maybe she's sick or something," Emma replied. "Weird though."

Just then, Jane and Maura walked down the steps together. Jane was clearly still adjusting her now disheveled clothing. And Maura was fixing her hair. Regina grinned as they walked past them to see who was here.

Emma walked next to Jane and whispered, "Really, dude? You two couldn't fix yourselves up before you came back downstairs? It's pretty obvious what you were doing up there by the way."

"What? You don't know how long it takes me to comfort Maur these days," Jane responded with a sly grin. "Dude her stamina is through the roof now. I can barely keep up."

Emma couldn't help but to laugh at that. "Now that I understand."

* * *

A little less than a half hour later everyone that had been invited had arrived and was celebrating Jane and Maura's new home with them. Emma and Regina had ended up hanging out mostly with Ingrid, Maleficent, Ruby, Belle and their children. They sat together after having eaten just generally enjoying each other's company. The adults were sitting at the table while the children ran around playing with Jane's new dog, Jo Friday. Her partner, Vince Korsack, had given it to her as their housewarming present. The children were ecstatic about the couple's newest pet family member because it was much easier for them to play with Jo than with Bass, Maura's tortoise.

"So Mal, you and Lily are sticking around here for awhile now?" Emma asked.

"Yes. That's the plan," she responded as she leaned toward Ingrid and was met with a soft, tender kiss from her new girlfriend.

"Ugh. Get a room," Emma said to herself as she turned her gaze away from the happy couple and took a long pull from her beer.

Regina chuckled at her girlfriend's antics. "Are you ever going to get over those two being together?"

"I guess so. But it's still a little weird for me to see my mom kissing someone period."

"I thought you said she was very open about who she dated when you were younger."

"Yeah but I never had to actually see her kissing them with my own eyes."

"You have a point, dear," Regina said with a chuckle. She lifted Emma's hand and kissed it softly to comfort her. She then looked past her girlfriend with a very surprised face as she spotted a few new arrivals. Emma turned in her seat to see who Regina was gawking at. Her girlfriend's little brother, his fiancé, and her best friend were walking over to the table all wearing huge grins that they couldn't contain.

"Hey sis, what's up Emma? Rubes, Belle, Ms. Fisher, Mal. How are all of you lovely ladies doing on this fine day?" Jefferson greeted.

"Hi…Jeff. What are you doing here? Did Maura or Jane invite you?" Regina asked confusedly.

"No but a friend of ours is here and when he told me where he was, knowing that my big sis was here I couldn't resist stopping by!" Jefferson answered, somewhat overenthusiastically.

"Don't worry, Gina. We went in on a gift for them," Katherine said with a wink as she sat down. Jefferson and August also sat down at the table. The former immediately grabbing for his sister's glass of wine to take an unoffered sip. As he reached for it, Regina's noticed a wedding band around his finger and she grabbed his hand and held it tightly as her mouth dropped open in realization.

"Did you two-!?"

"Yup!" Jefferson answered as he pulled his hand from his sister's grasp and proceeded to grab her drink wearing a smug grin.

"What?!" Emma responded when she caught on to what was happening. "Wait….when, how?! I thought you were planning on having the ceremony at Henry and Cora's!"

"Well we still are," August chuckled. "This kind of just happened. I guess what happens in Vegas doesn't necessarily always stay there in our case," he said, holding his hand up and brandishing his own new wedding band.

"Really, Jeff? Vegas?" Regina said. "That's seem a bit on the nose. Even for you."

"Hey don't judge us. It's not our fault that's where our friends decided to take us for our joint bachelor party and we ended up tying the knot a little sooner than we intended."

"Well, yeah, it kinda is," Emma chimed in. "Were you at least sober when you did it?"

"Actually yeah we were," August responded. "It was the next morning when we were walking around trying to find a place other than our hotel to have breakfast. We took it as a sign when we stumbled into a brunch place that also happened to have a chapel."

Regina shook her head and grinned at her brother. "You know Mom is gonna have a hard time forgiving you for that one, right? Not being there when her baby boy got married?"

"Don't worry, we'll still have a more official ceremony at Mom and Dad's with everyone there," August said.

They were soon greeted by one of the Jane and Maura's partygoers who was unknown to them. But apparently not to Kathryn, Jefferson and August. Both men stood up to say hello to him.

"Hello again, Officer Holt," Kathryn said with a lazy smile.

"Hi, Kat. I already told you that you can call me, Frederick," he said, returning her smile.

"Really? Frederick?" August asked with a skeptical look. "Dude everyone just calls you Fred or Freddy."

"So how do you, Jeff and Kat know Freddy here?" Emma asked with an amused smirk.

"Well, Fred and I go way back," August said as he clapped Frederick on the back. "He's one of the foster brothers I had after you and I were split up, Em."

"Oh yeah! You did tell me stories about this guy. Hey, it's nice to finally meet you," Emma said, standing up to shake Frederick's hand. "So you're the beat cop then?"

"Yes, I am," Frederick chuckled in response. "And you're the famous Emma Swan. August has mentioned you before. Just a few times," he said sarcastically.

"Wait, so how do you know my friend, Kat, then?" Regina asked still confused.

"Well we met in Vegas at their bachelor party," Frederick answered. "She was their witness when they got married," he said, turning more toward Kathryn and smiling directly at her.

"Wait...what?!" "What were you doing in Vegas?" Emma and Regina exclaimed simultaneously.

"What I can't have a life outside of Storybrooke?" she said with a grin in the couple's direction.

Belle laughed as she added, "Regina she was there for that Library Directors' Conference. Remember?"

"Apparently I don't," Regina said mostly to herself. "So you just happened to run into Jeff and August and what? Decided to join in on their festivities, I'm guessing?" she said in her normal voice.

"Pretty much," Kathryn responded, shrugging her shoulders. "Actually I was bored at one of the seminars so I went on Instagram and I saw that your baby bro was there too. So I texted him and met up with them later that night."

"And you were just magically with them when they got married?" Ruby asked.

"That was just kismet. I just happened to choose that same place for brunch."

"So are you gonna show up in any of their wild pics?" Regina asked with a grin.

"I don't see her any of them," Emma said as she scrolled thru Instagram on her phone. "Let me guess," she said, looking up and directly addressing Kathryn, "you were the one taking most of the pictures, right?"

"Yup!" Kathryn said proudly.

Regina made the motion for Emma to hand over her phone. Her eyes went wide as she viewed some of the pictures on her brother's account. "Where were you guys?!"

"At this amazing gay strip club! There were so many hot guys!" Kathryn answered for him.

"And none of them available for you though," Ruby chuckled.

"Nope. That's why Frederick and I bonded," Kathryn said, looping her arm thru Frederick's.

"So how much fun did you have at that place, Freddy?" Jane said barely holding in a laugh as she walked up to join the conversation.

"Well other than getting hit on a few times which I actually found kind of flattering, it was a pretty awesome time!" Frederick responded.

"How many of you were there?" Emma asked.

"There were only about ten of us," August responded. "They got us one giant suite to stay in. It was a really good time."

"Yeah. Imagine our surprise when these two walked back into the room grinning and hardly able to stop making heart eyes at each other. Phil asked them if they got hitched in jest. And these two dummies immediately held out their hands to show us their rings."

"Sounds about right," Regina commented. "So when are you going to tell the rest of our family that you're already married?"

"We were going to tell everyone at dinner tomorrow," Jefferson answered.

"Hopefully Mom won't take it too hard," August said with a wince.

"Nah, it'll be okay, sweetie. We'll just have to let her do all of the planning for the ceremony and I'm sure she'll get over it," Jefferson said as he took August's hand and gave it a kiss.

"So are you two a thing now or something?" Jane said to Frederick and Kathryn. They were still standing together and having a very quiet conversation in close proximity to each other. At Jane's inquiry they both looked up trying, but failing, not to blush. Kathryn then took Frederick's hand and led him to a different, more isolated, part of the backyard.

"Well that answers that question," Regina said with a grin.


	26. Chapter 26

Lucy and Henry sprinted to the front door of their grandparents' house as soon as their mothers released them from their car seats. Emma and Regina took each other's hands as they followed them thru the open door and into the house. They were greeted first by Jefferson, standing at the top of the stairs. "Hey it's my sister and my future sister-in-law!"

"No, Jeff. You're the one that's getting married. Not us," Regina replied with a chuckle.

"Babe, you forgot. They're already married," Emma responded with a smirk.

"Shhhhh!" Jefferson said as he quickly made his way down the steps. "We still haven't told Mom and Dad yet!"

"What?! Why, Jeff?"

"Auggie and I just haven't found the right time to tell them yet today…." he answered with a guilt-ridden shrug of his shoulders.

"Well, that's just ridiculous!" Regina responded.

"Yeah, dude. And a bit immature. Just get it over with and break Cora's heart already. It'll give her more time to get over it. And Auggie? Really?"

"Yes, Em. We've recently given each other a few more pet names for our sexy times. But don't tell him I told you that," Jefferson uttered very quickly.

"EW, Jeff!" "Come on, dude!" Regina and Emma said at the same time.

"TMI, little brother," Regina then said with a grimace.

"Yeah, I'm good on hearing what you call my brother during your 'sexy times'," Emma said, using air quotes.

"Oh, come on. You're really gonna stand there and try to tell me that you two don't have certain names for each other reserved only for the bedroom?" Jefferson asked as he crossed his arms.

"Well…" Emma said as she looked down and scratched the back of her head.

Regina chuckled at her girlfriend and lightly slapped her with her free hand. "Way to be discreet, dear. So where is everybody?" she asked her brother trying to change the subject.

"Oh they're already in family room watching the first game."

"So what were you doing upstairs by yourself then?"

Jefferson exhaled before he admitted, "Just playing some of my old games and trying to calm myself down before I tell everybody that we're already married," he said as he shrugged and stuck his hands into his pockets.

"Oh it's okay, Jeff," Regina said, letting go of Emma's hand and embracing her brother. "Look, why don't we go upstairs and play a little more and I can help you come up with a good plan, okay?"

"Okay," he agreed still looking down at the ground but giving his sister a small smile.

"Well, good luck," Emma said as she kissed Regina's cheek and squeezed Jefferson's shoulder before she walked towards the family room.

* * *

"How are you still so good at this game, Gina?" Jefferson asked genuinely shocked.

"Oh, come on. You know that Crash Bandicoot is one of my all time favorites. I may have played this more than you played all of your other games combined," Regina responded just as she completed another level. She then put down the controller and turned to face her brother who was sitting on his old bed leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands.

She looked up at him sincerely from her position in front of him on the carpet. "So talk to me, Jeff. You and Z have never been shy about anything. Why are you so afraid to tell everyone that you and August are already married?"

"I don't know, Gina," he said with a huff. "I feel like it's one of the most important things that I'll ever do in my life and just like so many other things that I've already screwed it up somehow. It was actually August who wanted to do it in Vegas. I almost said no because I knew how much it would mean to Mom and everyone else to be there when we did it. I mean, I just got back in good with this family and I feel like what I did was like a giant fuck you to them."

"Okay. Well first of all, it sounds to me like you did something which I'm guessing made your now husband very happy. You were in a moment and you went with it and I'm hear to tell you that it's all going to work out. And when it comes to you getting back in good with our family all you ever had to do was walk back in thru that door and we would've forgotten how long you've been gone for. Which everyone already has! You deciding to marry August is seriously not as big a deal as you're making it out to be Jeff."

"Well your reaction at Maura and Jane's housewarming party would say otherwise," he said as he rolled his eyes and looked away from his sister while sitting up and crossing his arms.

Regina immediately crawled over to Jefferson. Kneeling in front of him she took his arms out of their folded position. He looked down at her with angry tears forming in his eyes.

"Yes. I was initially shocked. But also I was so happy for you and August. You two are so perfect for each other and you'd do anything to make that man happy. We all can see that. So you two jumped the gun a little bit early and got hitched in Vegas. And yes that is a total cliché but it's also so something that you would do and I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say that we love you for it, Jeff. That's who you are and one of the many reasons why we love you and why I'm proud to call you my brother."

Jefferson finally smiled. "Thanks, Gina. I really needed to hear that right now."

"And plus think of the story you'll be able to tell your kids one day, right?"

"Whoa, Gina! No one said anything about having kids yet," Jefferson responded.

"Really? You two would make wonderful fathers though. I mean, your video game collection alone would be any child's dream," Regina said, motioning to all of the games still sitting under and next to the tv.

"Shut up. And you still haven't come up with any good ideas on how I'm supposed to tell everybody…."

"Here's what you're going to do. By my estimation," Regina said, taking a glance at her watch, "it's probably about to be halftime, right?"

"Yeah. Probably. So?"

"So you're going to go downstairs. Take your fiancé, sorry husband, by the hand and you're going to stand in front of the television and everyone and simply tell them that you're already married but that you're still going to have the ceremony here. But I would suggest that you pull Mom aside though and let her know first because you know that will definitely soften the blow for her. Give her a hug and a kiss. Tell her that you love her and that she has all of the power when it comes to planning her baby boy's ceremony. Okay? Does that sound like a plan?"

"Yup!" Jefferson stood up, bringing Regina with him. "Thanks, sis. You're a real lifesaver," he said as he gave her a tight hug.

"Anytime. What are big sisters for if not to give amazing advice, right?"

"Wow, arrogant much?" Jefferson said as he released Regina. She hit him on the arm for his remark. "How is it already almost halftime of the game? What time did you guys get here? You're usually on time for everything, sis."

"Yeah well we had to pick Henry and Luce up from Ingrid's and I guess we just lost track of time before that…." Regina answered as she followed her brother out of the bedroom.

"What do you mean you lost track of time before you had to pick them up? What were you- Oh." Jefferson chuckled, "Now I see why Emma was so shy to answer my do you two have sexy times pet names question. I'm guessing because they were still fresh in her mind," he said with a knowing waggle of his eyebrows.

"I'm not sure what you're implying, Jeff, but I'm also not going to tell you why we were late," Regina said with a smirk. "You're just trying to change the subject since you're afraid to tell everyone that you and August are married already."

"You're WHAT?!"

Both Mills children immediately stopped in their tracks and slowly turned around to face their mother.

"Hey, Ma…." Jefferson said with a small wave.

"Don't 'Hey, Ma' me! What did Regina just say?!"

"Oh, man. You made her call me Regina. Thanks, Jeff."

"Mom, what are you even doing up here?" Jefferson asked, still in shock.

"What, I don't have the right to use one of the upstairs bathrooms in my own house? If you must know, I had to take a number two and I didn't want the odor to linger downstairs for anyone using the bathroom after me. Your father cooked one of his mother's recipes for me last night and I remembered this morning why I rarely let him do that."

Both of her children couldn't help but to snicker at that bit of information.

"But that's neither here nor there," she continued with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Was what I just heard Gina say true? Are you and August already married?"

Jefferson took a large breath and stepped closer to his mother. "Yes. It's true. We were in Vegas celebrating with our friends and we kind of just got swept up in the moment. But please, please, please don't be to mad at us, Ma," he pleaded, taking his mother's hands in his. "I promise that you can do all of the planning for our ceremony that we still plan on having here, okay? I'm so so sorry it happened this way," he said as she hugged his mother closely.

It took a few seconds but Cora finally melted into her son's embrace. "It's okay, baby boy. I forgive you. I understand you not being able to say no to August. With those gorgeous eyes and that smile and those dimples. I still don't know how you landed that hunk of man meat. He's so much better looking than you. I'm assuming it was his idea to get hitched and you just couldn't say no?"

"Mom, really? You think August is better looking than me?" Jefferson asked as he stopped hugging his mother but still held her closely in his arms. "And please try not to ever say the term 'man meat' around me ever again. Please and thank you."

Regina laughed long and hard at that comment. She was still chuckling lightly about it as the three of them made their way down the stairs. As they walked into the family room Regina hung back. Jefferson took his mother's hand and led her to the front of the room. Everyone was engaged in multiple different conversations and not paying any attention to the halftime show. He stood in front of the tv as he yelled, "Hey everyone! I've got something that I need to tell you! Listen up!" Everyone immediately stopped talking and gave him their rapt attention.

Jefferson gulped before clearing his throat and finding August's loving glance. He gave his husband a look, silently asking him for permission. August smiled and gave Jefferson a small nod letting him know that he was indeed okay with him making this announcement. Jefferson put his left hand into his pocket. "So… Mom, Gina and Em already know this but I thought I should also let you all know that August and I got married." He dramatically lifted up his hand to show them his wedding band, unable to stop the huge smile that took over his features. Henry, Zelena and Robin immediately all jumped up from their seats and rushed toward Jefferson.

Henry practically knocked Cora out of the way as he hugged his son fiercely. "I'm so proud of you, mijo. Making an honest man out of August."

Zelena and Robin simultaneously engulfed him as soon as Henry let him go. Zelena held up his hand so she could get a closer look at his ring after they let go. "Nice choice, baby bro! You two picked these out together in Vegas?" she asked, looking between the newlyweds.

"Yeah," August replied as he finally made his way over to his husband. "They actually had a really good selection at the chapel. Surprisingly."

"So I hate to burst you bubble, Jeff…but Robby and I already knew that you two got hitched in Vegas," Zelena said as she winced.

Upon hearing his sister's confession, Jefferson was actually at a loss for words. "What?!" August responded for him. "Wait, so you mean to tell me that the only people who didn't know about us were Mom and Dad...?"

"Yeah...pretty much," Zelena answered.

"And Gina you knew this?" Jefferson asked finally finding his voice.

"Yeah...I pretty much texted her like right after I found out at the party," Regina said from the back of the room. Sorry..."

"No. But you're gonna be!" Jefferson made his way aggressively towards his sister but was stopped by Emma standing protectively in front of her girlfriend.

"Sorry, dude. I don't know what you were planning on doing to my woman, but I can't let that happen," she said with a playful smirk.

"Alright, alright," Jefferson backed away with his hands in the air and a smile on his face. "So authoritative. Jeez."

Regina found herself suddenly getting very excited. In a way that made her step closer to Emma almost flush up against her back. "Do you still have your handcuffs in your car?" she whispered seductively into Emma's ear so that no one else could hear her.

"Yeah…" Emma answered quietly as she turned around to face Regina. "Why do you ask?" she said with a confident smirk.

"Oh I think you know why," Regina answered. "Look," she said, nodding towards the room. "Everyone is busy with Jeff's news and the game is about to come back on. Henry and Luce are keeping themselves really busy. Why don't you go grab those cuffs and meet me upstairs? Officer?" Regina said with a seductive pout. She then turned and walked toward the stairs with a wink.

Emma didn't hesitate to go outside and quickly retrieve her handcuffs from her car, saying a silent prayer for the fact that they had taken the Bug over the Benz today. She surreptitiously made her way up to Regina's old room and made sure to close and lock the door behind her. When she turned back around she was assaulted by Regina as she kissed her hard and pinned the blonde up against the door. Emma couldn't help moaning into the kiss as she wrapped her arms around Regina's waist and surprised the brunette by lifting her up off her feet. Regina yelped but instinctively wrapped her legs around Emma's waist and she continued to kiss her fiercely as she was walked over to her bed.

Emma unceremoniously fell forward on the bed and Regina as she began to kiss and lick up and down Regina's neck. "Did you get the cuffs?" Regina breathed out.

"Mmhmm," Emma answered, refusing to remove her lips from her Regina's neck. "This needs to come off," she said, reaching down to pull Regina's sweater up and over her head. She threw it to the side as she began to kiss down her girlfriend's chest. "I will never get over how you don't seem to own one unsexy bra," she said as she smiled up at the brunette.

"One of the many things I love about you." Regina smiled down at the blonde. She gasped as Emma pushed her bra up without taking it off to capture one of her breasts in her mouth and immediately started to suck on her nipple. Just as Regina was really starting to enjoy her ministrations Emma stopped and abruptly sat up on her knees. She reached into her back pocket and with a grin. "Oh. Did you want to still use these?" she said as she took the handcuffs out.

"It's completely up to you," Regina responded with a playful grin.

"Well I think someone was a very bad girl for telling about Jeff."

"Please don't say my brother's name to me while I'm laying partially unclothed on my childhood bed about to make love to you."

"Babe…." Emma whined. "Way to almost ruin the mood." She lifted Regina's hands over her head and put the cuffs around the headboard. Before Regina even knew what was happening she heard the soft click of the handcuffs locking. She looked up at her now bound hands and then smiled at Emma. "Almost," Emma said as she took her shirt off.

She laid back down on top of Regina and slid down farther as she kissed down her girlfriend's toned body. She slowly took off Regina's jeans and her underwear as she kissed and nipped across her stomach. Regina's moans got louder and louder as Emma kissed down her legs before she opened them to get better access. Emma made her way down to Regina's sex at an excruciatingly slow pace in Regina's eyes. "Em, honey? We don't have that long to do this. I don't mean to rush you but- OH MY GOD!"

Emma dove into Regina's slit licking up and down at a frantic but amazing pace. She made sure to lick short circles around Regina's clit but not to let her climax. Regina tried her absolute best to not scream out but she was quickly losing that battle as her moans became louder and louder the closer she got the the edge. Just as Emma was about to finish her off, she stopped and lifted her head as she asked, "Babe are you being too loud? I mean, I know it's a big house but can your family hear us from downstairs?"

"No," Regina panted. "The walls are super thick. Trust me. Z used to sneak Robin in here all of the time for secret sleepovers and our parents never found out about them. And I really don't think they were just studying most of the time. Now if you don't finish, I think I'm literally going to explode."

"Damn, woman. Calm down. And thanks for the image of your sister and Robin doing it by the way," Emma said right before she attached her lips back to Regina's clit and sucked hard. She added a few fingers inside just as she climaxed. Regina lost it and proceeded to scream Emma's name until it felt like she had no breath left in her lungs. Emma laid her head on Regina's stomach until she came down from her orgasm and her breathing evened out. When she felt like she could speak again, Regina asked Emma if she could remove her handcuffs.

"Oh, yeah! Sure, babe," Emma said as she sat up and reached into her pocket to retrieve the key before she reached up to unlock them. "And that's the only reason why I kept my jeans on," she admitted as she leaned down to kiss Regina softly. Regina surprised Emma by flipping on top of her. She straddled the blonde as she reached for the cuffs. Before she could begin to respond Regina kissed her deeply, distracting her further as she put Emma in the same position that she was just in.

"I don't think you'll be needing them anymore," she said as she unclasped Emma's bra and proceeded to unbutton and discard her jeans as she continued to kiss her soundly.

* * *

They had gone for a few times more than they had planned on and therefore, ended up falling asleep. They were so tired from satisfying each other that they didn't even hear the door being unlocked. The next thing the mothers knew their children were jumping up and down on the bed trying to wake them up.

"Mommy, mama wake up!" Lucy screamed.

"Mommies wake up! It's time to eat!" Henry added.

"Whoa, whoa. What's going on here?" Emma chuckled.

"How did you two manage to get in here?" Regina asked with a smile as the two toddlers finally stopped jumping up and down on the bed.

"Grandma let us in!" Henry happily supplied.

"Oh did she now?" Emma asked, turning to Regina.

Regina winced as a thought suddenly hit her. "I forgot that she and Daddy have keys to all of the rooms. They have a thing about locked doors. Sorry, Em," she said with a shrug.

"It's fine, babe. Hey why don't you guys meet us downstairs, okay? We'll be right behind you."

"Okay!" they responded together as they immediately jumped off of the bed and ran out of the room.

"Well, good thing you pulled the covers up over us," Emma said as she sat up.

"I know right?" Regina responded around a yawn. "I am really hungry now though."

"Yeah I could eat," Emma said as she stood and bent down to grab Regina's bra. She threw it at her without looking and turned around to see that it had landed on her head.

"Really, Em?"

"Sorry," Emma said with a chuckle as she continued to pick up her clothes and get dressed. "Babe, you might wanna fix your hair a little bit before we go back downstairs," she stated as both women finished dressing and walked towards the door. Regina quickly looked in the mirror and had to agree with Emma that her hair was indeed a mess. "I mean, I love it when you have your after sex look but I don't know how your family is going to take it," Emma said with a grin.

"Okay, okay. Thanks for the advice," Regina chuckled as they finally walked out of the room.

* * *

Dinner was eaten around the table, which had actually become more of a rare occurrence since Emma, Henry and August had become part of the family. Cora was already excitedly making plans for Jefferson and August's ceremony. It was quickly established that Lucy and Henry would serve as the flower girl and ringbearer respectively, much to Regina and Emma's surprise. They had already agreed to let the little ones have the same duties in Maura and Jane's wedding.

After dinner was all cleaned up, everyone had again retired to the watch the end of the second game. Cora had taken August and Jefferson outside so that she could show them how and where she was going to set everything up for the ceremony and reception. Regina and Zelena had decided to join them out of pure amusement.

"So boys, how many people were you planning on inviting?" Cora asked.

"For the ceremony or the reception, Mom?" August asked.

"Both!" Cora replied.

"Well we don't have a lot of out of town friends so the number for both should be pretty much the same, right…?" Jefferson turned to look at his sisters for help. Both of whom were absolutely no help. They just shrugged their shoulders in unison and said nothing in response as they smiled widely. The two sisters had decided to say as little as humanly possible concerning any of the decision-making aspects of their little brother's wedding before they had followed them outside.

"Really guys?!"

August took his husband's hand in order to calm him down and whispered into his ear, "Don't worry, babe, everything is going to be okay. We've already done the hard part. This is just the fun part, right?"

"Right!" Jefferson said as he exhaled. Then he suddenly turned taking August's face in both hands and gave him a fierce kiss. Zelena and Regina both cheered them on.

"Save it for the end of the ceremony, boys!" Cora called out from across the lawn.

The sisters finally broke their silence. "So are you going to frame your wedding license like Robby and I did?" Zelena asked.

"What do you mean license?" Jefferson asked. "What are you talking about, Z?"

August who was still a little dazed from their kiss added, "I'm confused. What are we talking about now?"

Regina was the first to burst out laughing when she figured out was going on.

"What? What's so funny, Gina?" Cora asked as she made her way back over to her children.

"Oh shit. You idiots!" Zelena yelled before she too started laughing uncontrollably.

"What is it, Z? Seriously what's so funny?" Cora said in a whiny voice.

"I don't know, Ma," Jefferson responded. "Z said something about getting our wedding license framed and then when we asked her what she was talking about Regina and her just starting laughing," he answered still genuinely confused.

Cora caught on right away. "Oh baby boy," she chuckled. "Did you and August not get a wedding license from that chapel in Vegas?"

"No…. Were we supposed to...?" he asked.

"Yes!" Regina and Zelena both answered in unison still laughing.

"Alright, girls. Stop laughing at them. This just means that now we can have the real ceremony here!" she said with an excited clap of her hands.

Regina and Zelena both turned to make their ways back into the house, still laughing hard at their brother and his fiancé. "Wait until Daddy hears about this," Regina managed to get out.

"I can already hear him. 'Now I get to see mis mijos get married in person!'," Zelena said around her laughter.

"Shut up, you guys! We didn't know! We got caught up in the moment," Jefferson said as he jogged to catch up to them.

August just shook his head as he made to follow them all inside with Cora catching up to her future son-in-law and putting her arm through his. "Those two are probably never going to let him live that one down," she said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, I'm definitely sure it'll be something that they tell our kids about."

"Yeah I- Are you two planning on giving me more grandbabies?" Cora squealed.

"I am. It won't take me too long to convince Jeff. Trust me. With this smile and these dimples, there's not much I don't get my way with," August responded with a playful wink.


	27. Chapter 27

"Tell me again why I agreed to come to this thing?" Killian asked Emma as he fidgeted in his seat in the school auditorium. "And why are they even celebrating Christmas so early? It's barely even December."

"Are you drunk right now? This is clearly a Thanksgiving pageant. Do you not have that holiday in your country?" Emma asked with a chuckle.

"A version of it yes. But not the way you North Americans celebrate it. Obviously. Anyway, how long is this thing going to be?"

"Will you stop complaining?! We've literally been here for eleven minutes," Emma said, checking the time. "And I told you that if you wanted to hang out afterwards than you were going to have to come to this with me as payment. Besides it's been far too long since you've seen Henry."

"You've got a point there. I do miss the little lad. Alright, I guess I can tough it out."

Regina joined them. "We almost had a meltdown backstage but the crisis was averted. Hey, Killian. How are you doing today?"

"Better. Especially now that you're here," he replied with a swarmy smile.

"Hey! Save it for the bar, man. She's taken."

"And happily so," Regina said as she sat down next to Emma, giving her a kiss on the cheek and taking her hand.

"What, Swan? Can't I be envious of the fact that you're happily shacked up with that gorgeous woman and your two beautiful children? You know, maybe if you and August didn't abandon me to become Sheriff's deputies..."

"Calm down, dude. You love being a bounty hunter. Always have, always will. Maybe one day you'll find someone who'll make you give it up like August and I have," Emma said as she bumped Killian's shoulder with her own.

"I don't know. I'm still not really looking for anything that serious. That why we're going-" Killian interrupted himself as he stared at the blonde woman who had just stepped onstage to speak with another teacher sitting at a piano.

"You okay, man?" Emma asked before she turned to look at whatever had caught Killian's eye. She smirked when she saw Tina Bell, Henry and Lucy's Pre-K teacher. "See something you like there, Kill?"

"Who is that goddess?" he practically whispered in response.

"Oh that's Tina. Luce's and Henry's teacher. For some reason she goes by Tink with all of the parents though," Emma said with a small smile.

"You have to introduce me after the show," Killian breathed out. "I might die if you don't."

Regina laughed. "Has he always been this dramatic?" she asked Emma.

"Not really, no. This is the first time I've seen him act like this actually. Normally he's all swagger and confidence. This is totally new."

"He definitely looks more like a schoolboy in love than Casanova right now," Regina chuckled.

Killian continued to stare at Tink. She had finished her quick conversation with the pianist teacher and turned around to quickly scan the crowd. When her eyes landed on Regina and Emma she gave them a little wave. She stopped mid-wave and gave a strange look in Killian's direction. When Killian realized that he was staring awkwardly, he cleared his throat and waved at Tink trying to give her a non-threatening smile as he did so. Tink responded by spinning on her heels and quickly disappearing back behind the curtain.

Regina and Emma could not help but to laugh at this awkward exchange. "Don't worry, Kill. I'm sure your good looks will make up for whatever awkwardness that just happened there," Emma said around her laughter.

"I don't know if even that'll help him," Regina said as she continued to laugh too.

"Whatever," Killian said as he sunk down into his seat, trying to play off his immense embarrassment.

* * *

Emma and Regina entered the classroom and looked around for their children. When they spotted them, both parties ran toward each other and were greeted with hugs and kisses. The two mothers showered their children with congratulations on their performances. Killian stood awkwardly back by the door, unwilling to come in for some reason.

"Guess who's here, bud?" Emma said to Henry as she continued to kneel down in front of him.

"Who?!" the toddler responded unable to hold in his joy as he jumped up and down while asking the question.

"Your Uncle Killian!"

"Where?!"

"Right over there, kid," Emma said, pointing back towards the door. "Why don't you go get him and bring him in here? I want him to meet your teacher."

"Okay! Hey Uncle Killian!" Henry cried out as he ran towards the man.

"Now, Luce, I need you to do me a big favor," Emma said, turning toward her daughter.

"What mama?"

"Can you go and grab Ms. Bell and bring her over here for me?"

"Yeah! I can do that!"

"Oh, you were serious about introducing them?" Regina asked as Emma stood back up beside her.

"Yeah. What made you think that I wasn't, babe?"

"I don't know. You're always telling me how Killian is a player and never going to settle down and-"

"I know. But I'm telling you, Gina, I've never in all the years that I've known him seen him look at a woman like that. This is different. I can feel it. And it's kind of par for the course for our lives and how everyone seems to be connected in some way, right?"

"You make a very good point, dear."

"I know," Emma said confidently.

Somehow Henry and Lucy had been able to bring Killian and Tink back to the two mothers at almost the same exact moment. Both of them were looking down as they were being led by the hand by each child and they only looked up when they stopped leading them any farther. Emma took her cue.

"Hey Tink. Great job with the show."

"Thanks, Emma. A lot of the parents helped me out loads though. Including Regina," Tink said happily.

"Oh, you're welcome, dear."

"So Tink, let me introduce me you to my friend, Killian."

"Oh...okay," the teacher replied.

"And Killian, this is the woman that you were creepily staring at earlier," Emma said with a smirk. Then she witnessed something that she had never seen happen before. Her friend blushed as he offered his hand to Tink.

"Shut up, Swan," he said before shaking the teacher's hand. "Hello. I'm Killian Jones. It's really nice to meet you. And I'm truly sorry if I scared you earlier. It's just that you're honestly one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen."

"Wow," Regina said quietly.

"I told you," Emma whispered in her girlfriend's direction. "I have never seen him act like this before."

"Well thank you, Mr. Jones," Tink replied with a shy smile. "Is that an Irish accent I'm detecting?"

"Yes, love, it is. And am I hearing a slight Australian one from you?" Killian responded with a confident smile.

"Yes it is. My friend, Belle, and I both came here for college and we ended up staying and settling here in Storybrooke," Tink answered.

Sensing that the two newly acquainted parties probably wanted some more space to continue to get to know each other, Emma and Regina both subtly took their children's hands and led them to another part of the classroom. When Emma looked back she could see that Killian and Tink hadn't even acknowledged or noticed that they were left alone and that they had inched closer to each other as they continued to smile and converse. "I told you," she said to Regina as they walked toward a group of some of the other parents.

"I never doubted you, dear," Regina said with a smirk.

* * *

"Babe! Are you ready to go yet?!" Emma yelled as she stood at the bottom of the stairs waiting for Regina to join her so that they could leave for Maura and Jane's bachelorette party. "You know the club is only open until 2 right?!" Emma smiled to herself as she jogged back up the stairs to see what was taking Regina so long. She opened their bedroom door to find Regina pacing angrily back and forth across the room.

"No puedo creer que ella me hiciera esto! Esta noche de todas las noches!" Regina yelled.

"You can't believe who did what babe…?" Emma asked as she cautiously stepped into the room.

Regina immediately stopped her pacing as soon as she heard Emma's question. "You understood that?"

"Most of it, yeah. And something about tonight... What happened between the time that I left you and just walked back in the door?" Emma asked as she walked over to Regina taking her lightly into her arms.

Regina naturally reciprocated by wrapping her arms around Emma's neck. She exhaled deeply as she put her forehead down on Emma's shoulder. She currently stood taller than the blonde in her heels but had yet to finish putting her dress on.

"Talk to me, babe. What's wrong?" Emma said calmly and quietly.

Regina huffed as she reluctantly lifted her head to answer her girlfriend. "So you know how I let Angela take the reins on planning everything for tonight?"

"Yeah," Emma chuckled. "I don't know how you were still able to plan anything with her. I love her but she can be a bit much even for me sometimes."

"Well guess who called a minute ago wondering why we hadn't met her an hour ago at the club?" Regina said through gritted teeth.

"Whoa. Calm down, babe. I'm sure it's all going to work out. Why did she want us there so early? I thought everything was essentially done already."

"Well it was until she showed up and the place was still open to the public and in 'full swing' as Angela put it!" Regina said, using air quotes as she released herself from Emma's hold and walked away from her into their closet.

"Wait...what?! Jeff and August pulled every possible string they could so that we could have the place to ourselves. How is it still open?"

"Apparently there was a mixup with the dates but then when she went to talk to the owner about it, he ended up somehow convincing Angela to let them stay open to public until 10! Oh but it was okay because he offered to give us some of our deposit back."

"What!? Why would she do that?! The whole point of us having the party there was because we wouldn't have to deal with crowds and other stupid people. Let alone the fact that we now have to share the bar and dance floor with a bunch of sweaty, horny gay men!? I mean, don't get me wrong they definitely know how to have a good time but I wanted it to just be us and our friends! And how was he going to give her a refund when pretty much everything we paid for was as a non-refundable deposit?" Emma called out to Regina who was still in their closet. "Maybe we should've just gone and done what we almost did in the first place and just had a more quiet get together at Maura and Jane's," Emma huffed as she flopped down dramatically onto their bed.

"I know, love," Regina said as she walked out of the closet wearing a purple, sleeveless dress that hugged her body perfectly and sported a very low-plunging neckline. "Can you zip me up?" she asked as she walked over to Emma whose mouth had visibly dropped open upon seeing the brunette. Regina couldn't help but to smile at Emma's reaction as she turned away from her so that she could close her dress. "It was August's and Jeff's stupid idea. And they're not even coming tonight," Regina said as she turned to face Emma. She stood in between her legs and pulled the blonde closer to her and leaned down to kiss her soundly.

"Wow," Emma said after they finally broke their kiss. "Keep that up and we won't be leaving this room anytime soon. What was that for anyway?" Emma asked, looking up and smiling at Regina.

"To calm me down and because I may not have said it earlier but you look just as sexy as I do tonight. If your slackjawed reaction to my dress is anything to go by," Regina answered as she took the blonde's hand and pulled her off of the bed so that they could make their way out of their room and the house.

* * *

Regina and Emma arrived at Babylon to a line that formed around the block. The two walked hand-in-hand past multiple catcallers to the front of it and gave the bouncer their names. The huge man checked his list and smiled at them as he let them in past the rope barrier. "I'd hate to be them right now," Emma said as she shrugged out of her jacket and took Regina's to give to the coat check. "It's freezing out there. I don't think it's worth it."

"Yeah I wonder if they'd continue to stand there if they knew that the club was closing early tonight?"

"They probably still would," Zelena answered easily as she walked up behind the couple.

"Hey, Z!" Regina said as she walked over to give her sister a hug hello.

"Hi, Gina. Hey, Em. So the club's still open to everyone, huh?" she asked unable to hide her smirk.

"Yeah," Regina answered quickly. "Wait. She didn't even tell anybody?" Regina asked in a severely whiny voice turning towards Emma.

"Apparently not," Zelena chuckled. "It's cool though. Most of us figured it out right away when we arrived. Luckily we all showed up at pretty much the same time and then the bouncer happened to see us all standing there together looking confused. So he very kindly checked to see if we were on the list," Zelena said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Okay. Well who else is here already then?" Regina asked.

"Pretty much everyone except the two brides-to-be, I think."

"Well that makes sense," Emma said. "Jane probably wouldn't want Maura in this sort of crowd and Maura's never been that comfortable around them, so yeah."

"How do you know she told them though, Em?" Zelena asked.

"Are you kidding me? Of course she'd tell her only daughter and her future daughter in law who's carrying her grandchild about what happened with the owner."

"She has a point, Z. Well," Regina said clapping her hands and rubbing them together. She turned to walk farther into the club. "Who wants to get drunk with me tonight?" Regina asked over her shoulder.

Zelena ran after her holding up her hand as Emma followed after them shaking her head and grinning. "Well tonight should be fun. I think I'll appoint myself as our designated driver just so I can remember this better."

Zelena caught up to Regina before she could order anything at the bar. "Sis, hold on! We're in the VIP section," Zelena said, pointing to a corner that was cordoned off upstairs but still visible from where they stood.

"Well at least she did something right!" Regina said. Zelena led them across the dance floor to the stairs. They gave their names to yet another bouncer before they could enter the VIP.

"Hey! You guys made it!" Ruby was the first to greet them happily.

"Yes. And I'll have whatever you're having. I need to catch up!" Regina said, taking a seat next to Ruby and a sip from her drink.

"Okay. Sure! Hey Marco!" Ruby called out. A scantily clad man covered in glitter came over to their table. "Two more for me and my friend here. Please and thank you! Em, you want anything?"

"Nah, I'm good for now. I've decided to pace myself since I'm going to be our designated driver."

"Really?" Ruby responded genuinely confused. "Okay…. But the night is still young. I'm sure if you start drinking now you'll be sober enough by the time we shut this place down," Ruby said with a lift of her eyebrows.

"Yeah, Emma. Have some fun, why don't you?" Belle chimed in. "Here," she said as she stood up and handed her fresh and very fruity-looking drink to Emma. She turned back towards the table and held her hand out for Ruby. "Let's go dance, Red!"

"Hell yeah! Don't drink my drink, Regina!" Ruby yelled over her shoulder as she was led toward the stairs.

"Uh huh," Regina said around the drink of Ruby's that she was currently finishing.

"Wow, so you were serious about getting drunk tonight, huh?" Emma asked with a chuckle.

"Pretty much!" Regina responded. "Oh, thank you, Marco!" she said as she reached for her drink from their waiter.

"Gina, you should probably pace yourself though. You've never been much of a partier, sis," Zelena stated.

"It's okay, babe. Enjoy yourself. I've got you," Emma said as she settled back into the booth sliding her arm around the brunette.

"Yeah, Z. This is probably one of the only nights that I've ever really let myself let loose."

"Oh yeah?" Emma asked. "When else did you?"

"My 21st birthday," Zelena answered for her. "As I recall you didn't really handle your liquor that well that night," the redhead said with a hearty chuckle.

"That's only because you insisted that I keep with you while you took your 21 shots," Regina spat back.

"Which I was perfectly capable of doing. No one told you you had to keep up with me, Gina," Zelena said with a grin as she took a sip of her tall green-colored drink.

"What is that?" Emma asked, pointing at Zelena's drink.

"I think it's called The Emerald City…? I don't know. It looked good so I decided to try it," Zelena said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"You know what? I'm gonna take Ruby's advice and have a few drinks. Hey, Marco!"

"Yes, sweetie," he answered with a smile. "What can I get for you?"

"I'll take… What do think I'd like, Marco?"

"Well...looking at you, honey? I'd say you're a Ugly Duckling kinda girl," he answered with a wink. "I'll be right back with one."

Both sisters did spit takes at the name of the drink.

"What?" Emma said, crossing her arms in faux anger. "Shut up. I trust him."

"You just met him, dear," Regina chuckled.

"Whatever. I'm surprised you didn't order another drink from him before he went to go get me one," Emma said as she raised her brows while witnessing Regina slurping the last few drops of her current one.

"Yeah, Gina. I'm gonna ask him to bring us up some appies. And you might wanna slow down a little. You just got here," Zelena stated.

Right on cue, Marco came back with a large tray full of delicious-looking appetizers and two more drinks. After handing Emma hers, he gave Regina her third. "Here you go honey. I got you The Evil Queen."

"Ooohhh! Thank you so much! But why did you bring me this drink?" she asked before quickly taking a sip. "Mmmmm...it's so good!"

Marco laughed. "Because you name means queen, right honey?"

"Hmmm...I never knew that," Zelena replied. "Hey thanks for being psychic and bringing us these, Marco," she said as she leaned forward and grabbed a few bacon and cheese-covered nachos.

"No problem. It looked like Regina here needed something to go with her drinks," he said with a wink as he turned to walk away from them.

"Well he's definitely my new favorite," Emma stated with a mouthful of food. "This drink he brought me is perfect!"

"Wow! Jeff and August were right. This place does have the best wings!" Regina shouted as the music somehow got even louder.

Belle and Ruby came back from dancing a few moments later. "Whoa, look at this spread!" Ruby said as she sat down and immediately dug into the food. Belle sat down very closely next to her.

"Yeah," Emma answered with her mouth still full. "Courtesy of Marco, my new best friend."

"Really, Em. All is takes is a sexy, barely dressed gay man bringing you food to take my place as you best friend?!"

"We've been over this! _I'm_ her best friend!"

Everyone looked up to see Jane, Maura and Angela standing in front of them, all wearing huge smiles.

Everyone cheered at their arrival.

"Hey, Jay and Maur! You're finally here!" Ruby yelled, lifting a drink up that wasn't even hers.

Emma shot up to greet them all with hugs. "Hey, you're early! We thought you wouldn't bring Maura around until after they closed it down to everyone that's not us!"

Jane held Emma close after the hug and said into her ear, confident that she couldn't be heard over the music, "I was more than glad to do that. But all Maura wanted to do was make me have sex with her which was _super_ awkward with my mom sitting downstairs waiting for us to get ready."

Emma laughed hard as Jane finally let her go. "You hungry, Maur? We've got plenty to eat here," Emma said, motioning to the low table they were all sitting around.

"That's looks really good. But I could really go for some ice cream!" she responded.

"Babe. I don't think that's something they have on the menu," Jane said with a chuckle.

"Oh don't worry, Jane. I'm sure the owner has some around here somewhere," Angela announced. "For what we paid, he can certainly scrounge some up for us. Especially if he's going to leave this place open to the public until 11," she said as she made her way back towards the stairs to go check on that.

"Wait...what!?" Regina said, standing up. "Hold on! Angela!" She made to go after her but Emma quickly grabbed her around the waist and held her, impeding her progress.

"Babe, let it go. Let it go. It's okay. We're all here. And we're gonna have a great time tonight, right?"

Regina took a deep breath before looking Emma in the eye. "Yes." She physically relaxed in her girlfriend's arms. She suddenly grabbed one of her hands. "Bailar conmigo, mi corazon!" she yelled as she lead Emma to the stairs.

Emma chuckled, "Well I think somebody's just a little bit drunk."

"Why do say that?" Regina asked as she led Emma to the dance floor.

"Because you only speak Spanish when you're either drunk, feeling really romantic or when you're super mad at someone," Emma answered as she began to sway back and forth to the music, holding Regina tightly.

"Okay, well after this dance do you wanna go exploring with me?" Regina asked.

"What do mean? It's a club. What's there to explore?"

"No… You're forgetting that it's a gay club. And Jeff may have told me that there's definitely some backrooms for doing other stuff in…" Regina said suggestively.

"Okay… But aren't those kinds of places probably gonna be kind of gross?" Emma asked, scrunching up her facial features.

"Actually no. Jeff said the owner takes real pride in keeping his backrooms super sanitary. It's partly why he has one of the busiest and most successful clubs in the city."

"Wow you really had a whole conversation with you little brother about this, huh?" Emma laughed. "Babe I swear, sometimes your family is just a little too close and open even for me."

Regina kissed Emma soundly to let her intentions be clearly known. Then she began making her way to the darker lit part of the club. Emma noticed an entrance to an even darker room when she was suddenly pulled in another unexpected direction.

"Babe this is just a corner," Emma chuckles. "I thought we were going into another room," she says using air quotes.

"Yeah… And then I realized that the club is still open and I don't really wanna be around a bunch of gay men who are pleasuring each other."

"Good point. So you just want to do it right here then?" Emma asked honestly a little bit confused.

"Mmhmm. This'll do just fine," Regina answered with a predatory grin. "We're both wearing dresses for easy access. Why not?" Regina said with a sultry look as she pushed Emma back up against a wall and then pinned her there pushing one leg up aggressively in between hers. Emma hardly had time to let out a moan before she was ravaged by one of the most passionate kisses she had ever shared with her girlfriend. She gripped Regina's hair with both hands as she was groped with abandon by the brunette.

Emma somehow managed to break away briefly from their kiss. "Babe, are you sure you really want to do this here? What if someone sees us?" she asked as she took a quick, cautious look around them.

"Trust me, dear. No one is paying us any attention in our little corner here. That's one of the beauties of being in a club like this," Regina answered her breathlessly. "Now kiss me. Em-ma."

Emma absolutely loved it when Regina said her name like that. She pulled her head towards her to continue their steamy kiss and decided to take more control of the situation. She quickly flipped their positions and shoved one hand up under Regina's dress and pushed her underwear aside all in one motion. "Oh you're already so wet for me, babe," Emma moaned.

"I've been wet for you since before we left our house," Regina breathed out as Emma continued to kiss her exposed neckline. "YES!" she screamed as Emma pushed two fingers inside of her. Regina wrapped her arms around Emma as she rode her fingers and continued to scream her name.

Even though Emma figured that they could barely be heard over the pulsing music she decided to cover Regina's mouth with her free hand but instead Regina ended up sucking on her fingers. How, Emma had no idea but that only made her wetter. She wished she could somehow reach her girlfriend's breasts with her mouth right now because she knew that would help to bring her over the edge quicker. But she had to settle for adding a couple more fingers and pumping harder and faster instead. Regina could no longer hold in her screams of pleasure. "OH MY GOD EMMA! YES! RIGHT THERE! FUCK ME!"

Emma actually chuckled as she did as she was told. Just as she began to suck on Regina's pulse point she felt her tighten around her fingers and soon after Regina relaxed her body completely into the blonde. "Te amo, Gina," she whispered into Regina's ear as she was still recovering.

Regina smiled widely as she held onto Emma. "Yo también, mi amor," she responded with a kiss to Emma's cheek. She stood up a little straighter after she finally recovered and got her legs firmly back under her. "Uh oh."

"What's wrong, babe?" Emma asked, hearing the concern in Regina's voice.

"You know they have a backroom here right, Em?" Jane asked with a chuckle.

Emma's eyes went wide as she released Regina and turned around slowly to find Jane and Maura standing behind them wearing equally amused smirks. "It would give you more privacy then this corner which is on the way to the women's room," Maura happily pointed out.

"Yeah... Hey... What's up, guys…? No, yeah, we know. We just figured..."

"That we didn't want to do it surrounded by a bunch of men," Regina confidently finished for Emma.

"Understandable. Well, we're going to go do it in the handicapped stall like two less adventurous people," Jane stated.

"We should be done in about 15 minutes if you ladies want to use it after us," Maura added. "That is if you still want to finish pleasuring Emma, Regina."

"Uh...I think I'll just do that when we get home, Maur. But thanks," Regina chuckled as she looked down and blushed.

Jane and Maura then continued to make their way to the ladies' room.

"Those two sometimes," Emma said with a shake of her head and a chuckle. "I swear."

"Come on. Let's go back upstairs," Regina said after kissing Emma on her cheek and taking her hand to lead them back towards the VIP.

They found Mulan and Lily sitting where they had been earlier enjoying some of the appetizers which there were still plenty of.

"Hey Swan!" Mulan called out to Emma around the food in her mouth. "These wings are awesome! Have you tried any yet?"

"Yeah, but make sure you save me a few. Hey, Lil," Emma greeted.

"What's up, Em? Hey, Regina! Where were you two when we got here?" Lily asked in a suspicious tone.

"Just dancing!" the couple answered in perfect unison.

"Glad you guys could make it!" Emma said as she and Regina sat down.

"Yeah, us too. But why is this place still open?" Mulan asked.

Regina only growled in response. "Oh, please don't get her started on that," Emma responded.

"I mean if I knew we were gonna go to a gay club there's definitely some better lesbian ones that I know of," Lily pointed out. "One of them is only a couple of blocks over."

"It's cool. This place won't be open for everyone all night, so," Emma replied.

"Yeah, but then isn't it going to seem kind of big and empty with only us in it?" Lily asked.

"I don't know. Maybe," Regina responded with a noncommittal shrug of her shoulders as she reached for rest of her sister's drink. "Hey was Zelena here when you two got here?" Regina asked.

"Yeah. She's…right there!" Lily had stood up and walked over to the railing overlooking the dance floor to point out the redhead dancing with a man who looked shockingly similar to her husband.

Emma and Regina had stood up to see where Lily was pointing. "Wow! Is it me or does that guy look almost exactly like Robin?" Emma turned, asking Regina.

"Yup!" Regina laughed. "Z certainly does have a type, I guess."

Emma felt someone come and stand right next to her. "What are we looking at?" she heard Jane ask.

"Z's down there dancing with the gay version of her husband apparently. Hey, who's this?" Emma asked as she looked past Maura and noticed a small Asian woman with glasses standing next to her.

"Oh this is my work colleague, Susie!" Maura shouted.

Susie gave a small but excited wave hello to everyone.

"So Susie makes one more of us…" Lily observed.

Jane had heard her comment. "Yeah after Gina and Ma told us what they had planned for us with this party, we realized that we don't actually have a lot of female friends," Jane stated. "So then we kind of just invited all of the women that we've come to know in town."

"It's cool, Jane. We're gonna have a blast!" Emma said, putting an arm around Jane's shoulders and bringing her closer to her.

"Actually I think I have an idea…." Regina said, looking at Angela as she walked back up the steps with a couple bowls of ice cream and some random toppings for them.

* * *

Regina was somehow able to talk Angela and the club owner into leaving the place opened to the public for the rest of night like normal and then she even got the owner to talk to the manager of the club that Lily had mentioned earlier into giving them a private section there and transferring all of the fees that they had already paid to that club to cover their entrance fees and full bottle service. So the party essentially moved from a gay men's night club to a lesbian one. Emma made a mental note to herself to do some extra things to thank Regina for her hard work later on that night when they finally got home.

They all sat around a large circular couch with a table in the middle in the VIP section enjoying drinks, some food, each other's company and just the general atmosphere of the place.

"See," Lily said, pointing out to the rest of the club. "Isn't this a little better?" she asked to no one in particular.

"Lil, you've only been here for like a month. How do you already know where all the best places to go are?" Emma asked.

"Actually, Em, I showed her," Mulan answered with a smirk.

"Before or after you were together?"

"After. I didn't even know her before you moved in with Regina. It's still fun to come now though. Especially since I don't have to worry about who I'm going home with," Mulan responded, kissing Lily lightly on the cheek.

"But why did you never ask me to go out with you before then?" Emma asked, wearing a faux hurt expression.

"Because you and Regina are pretty much married without the rings, man," Mulan answered with a chuckle. "I wasn't trying to get in between that and possibly break up a happy home," she said before taking a swig from her beer.

"She makes a fine point, dear. We have been pretty domesticated lifestyle-wise since we first met."

"Tell me about it," Zelena said. Regina gave her a sister a playful slap on the arm.

Everyone had a great time. They danced, they laughed, they drank. Some had way more than others. Emma and Maura were the only close to sober ones by the end of the night. Emma made sure that everyone had safe ways of making it home before she said goodbye to the brides-to-be and Angela at their car. Emma still couldn't really believe that Angela had come and stayed with them the whole night to which she had replied, "Are you kidding me!? I already missed out on Janie proposing to Maura. I refuse to miss out on anything else from now on! Hell, I might even be in the delivery room with them," she stated confidently.

"Well, I don't think that'll be necessary, Ma," Jane had responded, rolling her eyes.

"Technically, if she's allowed to be there, I don't see why we shouldn't allow her to be, honey," Maura had added. Much to Jane's obvious chagrin.

"On that note," Emma chuckled. "You guys get home safe, okay? Call me tomorrow. Maybe we can go for brunch or something."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, Emma!" Maura responded happily. "Goodnight! I hope Regina's going to be okay. I think she had the most to drink out of everyone," Maura stated as she rolled her window up and drove away.

Emma shook her head when she got back to her car and saw both Mills sisters sleeping in awkward yet cute positions. Regina was in the passenger seat while Zelena was passed out in the back. "I guess I'll have to reward her for her hard work some other time then," she said out loud to herself as she started the car and pulled away towards home.


	28. Chapter 28

An early Thanksgiving gift for you...

* * *

Henry crept behind Lucy as the two toddlers pushed open their mothers' bedroom door as quietly as they could. They tiptoed over to their bed but couldn't help the giggles that escaped them when they glanced at each other. Emma was spooning Regina and had her arm resting lightly around her torso. Luckily for the toddlers, their mothers were facing away from the door as they slept.

Emma was the first one to hear her children open the door and was further woken up by their subsequent uncontrollable giggling. She smiled and hummed before placing a soft kiss to the back of Regina's head. She gently squeezed Regina's stomach in an attempt to lightly rouse her girlfriend and warn her about their children's impending wakeup call.

"Huh?" Regina responded sleepily.

"Shhh," Emma whispered. "They're trying to surprise us."

Regina instinctively smiled as soon as she realized what was happening. Then she had to reset her facial features to mimic sleeping as she heard Henry walking softly around to her side of the bed, as evidenced by his continued giggling. Emma had to relax her body again too and she tried not to laugh as she heard Lucy counting to three louder than she probably thought she actually was. On three both toddlers simultaneously jumped up onto the bed but were both greeted by their mothers' loving arms. Emma had turned quickly to engulf Lucy as soon as she felt her on the bed and Regina had opened her eyes and caught Henry in a tight hug as he leapt up onto her side. The room filled with laughter as the toddlers tried quite unsuccessfully to get out of their mothers' embraces. They continued to wriggle and squirm as kisses were placed all over their faces.

"You really thought you could surprise us this morning, huh?" Emma asked after giving Lucy one last loud and wet kiss to her cheek.

Lucy answered by nodding her head ecstatically and smiling widely.

"We almost had you!" Henry shouted, pointing at Emma, as he now sat comfortably in Regina's lap still held in her embrace.

"Nah. I heard you as soon as you opened the door," Emma replied.

"Almost, mijo. Almost," Regina said. "Why don't you two go downstairs and we'll meet you to make breakfast in a few minutes okay?"

"Okay!" they replied in unison before jumping off of the bed and running out of the room.

The two mothers looked lovingly after them. "I love how they always have to run toward their next destination," Emma said as she moved over to put her arms around Regina.

Regina leaned into Emma resting her head back onto her shoulder. "I know. They have so much energy. But it's always cute how they do that."

"Yup," Emma replied as she placed a kiss atop Regina's head. "So what's on the agenda for Luce today?"

"Well my mom is going to take her to meet up with Angela and Maura so they can pick out a dress for her for their wedding while I take Henry to the park to see Neal. What's this thing you have to do today again?" Regina asked as she looked up at Emma.

"Oh just some official ceremony that's like a welcoming thing for the newest deputies. I get to wear my official uniform and all," Emma responded. "Hey thanks again for taking Henry to see Neal in the park. I didn't want to have to cancel on him at the last minute. And he's really excited to see his dad again today."

"Emma, you know I treat Henry as if he were my own son. It's not at all a chore for me to drop him off at the park. Besides, I'm having lunch with Z and Robyn so it'll give Neal and Henry a good amount of time together."

"Cool. Robin and Roland weren't invited to this lunch with you?" Emma asked.

"Actually I think they're going golfing with my dad. So it'll be an all girls lunch today."

"And where are you planning on having this girls' luncheon?"

"Luncheon? Really, dear?" Regina said with a chuckle as she decided to leave Emma's embrace to get up and go brush her teeth.

"Let me guess...Granny's?" Emma said with a smirk.

"Of course," Regina responded as she walked into their bathroom.

* * *

"Hmmm. God, I love this place!" Zelena said as she took a huge bite out of her burger.

"Me too! Thanks for bringing us here, Aunt Gina," Robyn said before popping another fry happily into her mouth.

"Anytime," Regina responded as she continued to enjoy her milkshake.

"I see that Emma's eating habits are finally starting to rub off you on," Zelena observed as she looked pointedly at Regina's plate that held Emma's favorite meal.

"I never get it when we come here so I just decided to try it today to see what the big deal is," Regina replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Oh, I see. So what are your children up to today again?"

"Well Henry is at the park spending some time with his father. And Luce is with Mom, Maura and Angela getting her flower girl dress."

"Oh my God, they're going to be so adorable! Henry in his little suit and tie. He's going to be the cutest ringbearer ever! Why didn't you go with them to help get Luce's dress?"

"Because I've learned the hard way to avoid anything involving Angela and planning from now on," Regina said, shaking her head. "Besides, it's Maura and Jane's day. Whatever they decide is fine with me."

"So you're still a little bitter about that whole bachelorette club fiasco thing, huh?" Zelena baited.

"No!" Regina said in a whiny, unconvincing voice. "As stressful as that evening started out, thankfully it turned out to be super fun. Even though I'll admit after a certain point I don't really remember too much of it."

"I'm not gonna lie, Gina. I don't remember most of it either," Zelena said, shaking her head but smiling because she knew she had an amazing time.

"Oh not even that part where you were dancing very closely with a man, who though I'm assuming he was gay, looked surprisingly like your husband?" Regina asked with an evil smirk.

"What?! No! I didn't do that. Did I…?" Zelena asked as she looked up trying to remember anything about that night.

"Z, you didn't even get there that much earlier than me and Emma. How much could you have had to drink before then?"

"You danced with a man that looked like daddy? Was it fun?" Robyn asked, looking up at her mother.

Zelena immediately blushed. Both sisters had somehow temporarily forgot that they were at lunch with Robyn. But then they just kept talking about that night.

"Well I assume it was, mija. You know I love your dad very much. But do me a favor and don't tell him about what you just heard, okay?"

"Okay," Robyn replied without question before digging back into her fries.

"So exactly how closely was I dancing with this man?" Zelena then inquired.

"Like you actually thought he was Robin," Regina responded with a smug smirk.

"Really…? Well, I've got good taste in men. What can I say? But seriously how did I even get home that night?"

"I assume that Emma took you since she had stayed mostly sober after she had designated her herself so that she could get us home safely. I don't really remember much but waking up with probably my worst hangover of my entire life the next morning."

"Yeah I don't even know how you made it to brunch with Jane and Maura the next day."

"Luckily we came here and all the greasy food definitely helped."

"I'm sure," Zelena chuckled. "It's a shame though that we don't really have any evidence of our good times that night."

"Hey you know what? Lily was the one that pointed you out to us on the dance floor that night. And she has a pretty active Instagram account. She probably has some pics from that night," Regina stated as she pulled her phone out of her purse. She handed it over to Zelena after she quickly found Lily's account.

"Why is she daughterofthedragon?" Zelena asked as she scrolled through the many pictures of Lily and Mulan that she had taken and posted since they were together. "Jeez, when are these two getting married?"

"I know right? They're inseparable. Lily practically already lives at Mulan's place."

"How often do they go out?" Zelena asked as she continued to scroll through the couple's many selfies trying to get back to the night of the bachelorette party.

"A lot apparently. They're still pretty young."

"Gina, you're not that much older than them," Zelena chuckled. "You and Em just happen to have two kids already is all. Oh! Finally." Zelena quickly looked through the photos from that night and laughed before handing the phone back to Regina.

Regina eagerly accepted it and almost spit out some of her milkshake as she looked through them herself, thankful that Lily had not tagged her in any of the photos. Her favorites were one of her and Emma making out like they were alone on the couch. She could just make out Jane and Ruby cheering them on in the background. A group shot that someone who wasn't with them must have taken because they were somehow all in it. And one of Zelena grinding with a woman who resembled a female version of Robin.

"Wow, you really do have a type, Z," Regina laughed.

"Apparently," her sister replied in a lackluster tone.

"Did you see that one of you dancing?"

"Yes, I did, Gina. And I also noticed that one of you and Emma. And looking at it I actually somehow managed to remember that we had to physically separate you two before you could lay down and start going at it."

Regina blushed hard as she went back to eating her food.

"Go at what, Mom?" Robyn then asked.

Both women looked at each other before bursting with laughter.

* * *

Regina walked through the park and took a seat on a bench near the playground. Henry waved ecstatically at her once he noticed her presence, causing Neal to then look over and give her a smile and a wave. The two had gone back to playing again when she felt someone lean in close to her.

"Is someone feeling sentimental today?" Emma whispered into her ear.

Regina smiled widely. "What do you mean, love?"

"Babe, this is the same exact bench you were sitting on when we first met," Emma stated as she walked around said park bench to join Regina.

"Really? How do you know that?"

"Oh I'll never forget it. And also because I creepily stood staring at you for a long time before I came over to say hello."

"It took you a long time to find your courage that day, huh?" Regina asked with a smirk.

"Yeah. I knew exactly who you were but your beauty just kind of took my breath away. And then I got super nervous."

"Well, thank you," Regina chuckled as she took Emma's hand in hers. "Luckily I was so into my book that day that I didn't notice you creepily observing me. Good thing too. Because I probably wouldn't have been as open to your introduction."

"Good point, babe." Emma leaned over to kiss the corner of Regina's mouth.

When Regina turned more towards Emma it was then that she noticed just how good Emma looked in her uniform. Her mouth uncontrollably dropped open slightly as she took in her girlfriend's appearance.

"What?" Emma asked as she quickly looked down at herself. "Did I get something on my tie? I'm so not used to wearing this thing. Thank God we don't have to wear these stupid things when we're on duty," she said as she looked back up and immediately noticed that Regina's eyes had darkened significantly. "Babe...are you turned on right now?"

"So much," Regina managed to breathe out. "How have I never seen you in your uniform before?" she asked in a husky voice.

"Because Graham's cool enough to let us wear our regular clothes as long as we can fit out badges and all the rest of our stuff on our duty belts. But you've seriously never seen me in my full uniform before have you?"

"No. But it's doing things to me right now that had I known would have happened before I would have had you wear it for me at home. In our room." Regina didn't even realize how closely to Emma she had gravitated as she continued to drink in her authoritative appearance. She was practically in her lap now.

Emma stood up quickly, taking Regina with her as she walked quickly back through the park towards their cars. "Come on. Let's give Neal and Henry a little more time together, shall we?" she asked with a knowing smirk.

"Emma, I'm not even sure that I can wait that long," Regina replied as her breathing continued to quicken.

"Babe, we only live a few minutes from-" Regina had cut Emma off with a fierce kiss as she pushed her up against a nearby tree. Luckily no one was currently around them to witness this.

"Okay...I guess we're doing this right here then," she said with a smile as she quickly glanced up and down the path to see if anyone was around. Once she realized that they were pretty much alone, she grabbed Regina's hand and took them off of the path and into a more thickly wooded area. As soon as she decided that they weren't within clear view of anyone she took Regina's face in both hands and assaulted her with a kiss. Regina tightly held onto Emma shirt on both sides of her stomach as she relented and moaned into the kiss.

As the kiss ended, Regina looked up into Emma's eyes and said, "Te amo mucho cariño," before messing up her tight bun and knitting her fingers in her hair as she pulled her back in to continue their fierce kiss and also take more control of the situation. She walked Emma back to the nearest tree. Emma whined as Regina broke their kiss into order to grasp Emma's tie with both hands. "This," she said as she pulled Emma closer to her, "needs to be worn more at home," she stated before smiling seductively at the blonde. Emma smiled at her in return before Regina reached down and began to undo her belt buckle and open up her pants.

"Hey, I thought I was supposed to be the one in charge here," Emma breathed out with her eyes closed as Regina began to ravage her neck with licks and kisses.

"Not today, love," Regina responded before reaching one hand down Emma's pants and bringing Emma in for a kiss with her other hand on the back of her neck. As she made her way past Emma's underwear she noticed that she on a pair of boy shorts. That only turned her on more. "I love it when you wear these," Regina said between kisses. "And you have on this sexy uniform. It's almost too much," she stated as she slid her fingers in between Emma's folds and finally was able to feel how wet she was.

"Yes!" Emma moaned. "Why don't you show me how much right now," she whispered into Regina's ear.

"Gladly," Regina responded before she slid two fingers inside of Emma.

Emma immediately cried out Regina's name as she began to ride her fingers. "Fuck! Yes, right there, babe! Ah!"

Regina had to kiss her girlfriend when she thought that she might be too loud. Emma continued to moan loudly into her mouth. When Regina added more fingers and began to circle her clit with her thumb though she lost it. She cried out before seeing stars and then slumping down against Regina who hugged her with her free arm.

"Doing it al fresco? I didn't think we had that in us, Gina," Emma said in between pants to try to catch her breath.

"Oh I'll always put something in you when you wear this uniform, dear," Regina responded with a kiss to Emma's neck and a smile as she took her hand out of her girlfriend's pants.

"Good to know," Emma commented as she was finally able to stand up straight and began to button up her pants.

Regina was still licking the juices off of her fingers when Emma looked back up from buckling her belt. As Regina looked at her and smiled when she was finished, she saw Emma's eyes and expression darken as she moved closer to her. Emma grabbed Regina's hips as she kissed her hard and then spun her so her back was now up against the tree. "My turn," she said as she continued to kiss Regina passionately and unbuttoned her coat. It was then that she was reminded that her girlfriend was wearing a skirt. "God, I love it when you wear these," she said as slipped her hand up and under said skirt.

* * *

"Mommies!" Henry yelled jovially as ran towards his mothers after spotting them walking back toward the playground.

"Hey, bud!" Emma called as she let go of Regina's hand and jogged to meet their son. She dropped down to one knee right before they met and engulfed him in a hug. She lifted him up with her as she stood. "Hey, Neal," she greeted the man as he walked up behind Henry.

"Hey, Emma. Hi, Regina," he replied with a friendly smile and a small wave.

"Mommy, look what Neal showed me how to do," Henry said. He squirmed out of her arms and took off towards the monkey bars.

"Okay, bud. Wait up!" she shouted before she ran after him.

"You look good in that uniform, Em!" Neal called out after her.

"Thanks, Neal!" she answered over her shoulder.

"She looks...Mmmm," Regina said to herself. But Neal who had moved to stand beside her as they watched Henry and Emma had heard her comment clearly.

Neal chuckled quietly to himself. "So that's where you two got off to."

"Huh?" Regina asked, being pulled back from daydreaming. "I don't know what you mean," she said airily.

"Okay. Well. You still have a few leaves in your hair there, Regina," Neal chuckled as he walked away from her and closer towards where Henry and Emma were playing.

"Well, we weren't rolling around in them or anything," Regina mumbled as she walked after him, subconsciously checking her hair for any debris.

* * *

Regina parked her car in her usual spot in her parents' driveway. She got out and helped Henry out of his carseat. They walked to the door with Henry between them swinging him into the air every few stops. As soon as they entered the house, Henry took off running and calling, "Abuelo, abuela, Lucy! Where are you?!"

"Back here, nieto!" they heard Henry call out.

Emma and Regina followed their son into the family room to find Lucy sitting in Henry's lap as he watched a college football game. She jumped off of his lap as soon as the younger Henry entered the room.

"Where's Abuela?" Henry asked as Lucy came over to him.

"In the kitchen!" she answered excitedly. "Let's go!"

"Did we miss some part of that conversation?" Regina asked as she and Emma came into the room. Emma just laughed, shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. "Hi Daddy."

"Hey mijas," he responded.

"I'm gonna go and say hi to my mom," Regina said to Emma.

"Okay," Emma replied as she walked farther into the room and took a seat in a chair near Henry. "I'm just going to watch some of this game then."

Henry did a double take once he noticed that Emma was dressed in her uniform. "Looking good there, Emma."

"Thanks. You daughter sure did appreciate," Emma answered without thinking. "She found it downright sexy if I do say so myself. And I took advantage of that, let me tell you. And I'm just remembering that I'm talking to her father… I'm sorry. I guess I'm more tired than I thought," Emma stated, exhaling deeply.

"Mmhmm. I guess she wore you out huh?" Henry responded with a wink. "Here mija, why don't you take this. I've only taken a sip," Henry said as she handed Emma a beer. "You look like you could use it more than I can right now."

Emma chuckled as she accepted the bottle. "Thanks, Dad," Emma said before taking a hardy sip. "Hey can I run something by you?"

"Sure, mija. Anything. What's up?"

"Is it still like the honorable thing to do to ask your permission if I want to ask Regina to marry me?" Emma asked nonchalantly with her eyes trained on the tv screen.

"Uh, yeah, if you want. But it's not really necessary. To be honest with you, we've all got bets going as to who's going to ask who first and when you'll actually tie the knot," Henry responded, wearing a warm smile.

Emma felt him looking at her and she turned to return his smile and said, "I'll take some of that action."

* * *

They went to the kitchen to join everyone else once the game became a blowout and it was clear who was going to win. "You guys almost ready to go," Emma asked as she and Henry walked outside where they found Cora and Regina sitting and talking and Henry and Lucy running around playing in the yard. Emma gave them a look as it was clear that she had interrupted the mother and daughter in the midst of a serious conversation. They had stopped talking very suddenly when Henry and Emma had joined them. Cora tried to hide this fact by asking Emma, "Oh I don't get a proper hello, Emma?"

"Hey, Cora," Emma replied with a smile as she went over to give the woman a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Hi, dear. Don't you look attractive in your uniform. Gina, what do think?" Cora asked her daughter, barely able to hide her smirk.

"You told her didn't you," Emma stated in her girlfriend's direction.

"What, I… Sorry, Em," Regina huffed. "She noticed that I had a glow about me or something. I don't know. Anyway, yes, let's grab the kids and get out of here."

Emma stepped off of the deck to call their children in. "I'm gonna go grab something out of my room real quick," Regina stated as she stood up. "Love you guys," she said as she gave each of her parents a hug and a kiss. "Tell Emma I'll meet them at the car."

"Sure. No problem, dear," Cora replied.

A few minutes later, Emma walked up holding one child in each arm and around their midsections so that they arms and legs were dangling freely. "Hey, Dad, can you get the door for me? These two," Emma said, jostling the toddlers and causing them to giggle uncontrollably, "didn't want to stop playing. So now I'm forced to carry them out like this. Say goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa."

"Bye, Grandma! Bye, Grandpa!" they called out as Emma sidestepped thru the backdoor still holding them.

"And thanks for the advice," she said, giving Henry a wink.

"What was that about?" Cora asked.

"She's going to ask Regina to marry her soon. And she asked me for my permission."

"That's cute. Regina was actually just running some ideas by me about the best way to ask her. It's going to be a race to the finish, I guess," Cora stated as she stood up in order to join her husband so that they could go back inside.


	29. Chapter 29

"Okay, listen up, you guys." Emma had her two children seated before her on the coffee table as she sat on the couch. "You remember your parts of the plan, right?"

"Yup!" they answered happily in unison.

"Are you sure?" Emma asked skeptically.

"Yes!"

"Okay, then. Awesome. Gimme ten!" Emma held up her hands to receive simultaneous high fives from Lucy and Henry. "Now remember the most important part…?"

"We know. Don't tell mommy," they recited, again in perfect unison.

Just then, they all heard the door close as said person entered the house. "Where is everybody?" Regina yelled to no one in particular.

"In the living room, babe!" Emma responded.

Regina entered the room wearing a bright smile upon seeing her family. "Hey, what are you three up to?"

"Nothing!" they all said a little too quickly. The two toddlers then both proceeded to hop off of the table and run from the room.

"Hey! I don't even get a proper hello?!" Regina called after them. "Where are they going?"

"Don't worry about them, babe," Emma said as she stood up to walk around the couch and meet Regina. "They're fine. How was your day, beautiful?" Emma asked as she placed her hands on Regina's hips and went in for a light kiss.

"Good. Thanks. I helped people find books and things...why are you calling me beautiful and our children running from the room at the sight of me? Is there something going on, dear?"

"No, no," Emma replied as she let go of Regina and turned away from her to make her back around the couch. "Why would you think that? Everything's cool. Everything's fine. Our children are fine. How was your day, babe?"

"You already said that our children are fine, Em. And you just asked me about my day less than a minute ago. Are you sure you're okay…?" Regina asked with a quirked brow.

"Yes, yes. Just come and sit down with me," Emma requested, patting the cushion next to her.

"Okay…"

Regina plopped down next to Emma. Emma naturally put her arm around Regina's waist and pulled her closer to her. Regina exhaled deeply as she rested her head on Emma's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Long day?"

"Kinda. Almost every patron I helped seemed to have a short fuse today."

"How could they be mad when they get to look at your gorgeous face as you help them? I'll never understand that," Emma said, shaking her head.

"I don't know, dear. But I do know that I'm a little too tired to even think of what we're going to have for dinner tonight," Regina said with a sigh.

"Oh, don't worry. I got it covered, babe," Emma said as she placed a kiss to Regina's forehead.

"Really?" Regina responded, opening her eyes to look up at Emma, the surprise evident on her tired face.

"Yes. I've learned a thing or two from you since we've been together and I figured I'd take care of it since I got home first today."

"You're sweet," Regina replied as she reached across Emma to grab the remote. "So. What are we watching?"

"Whatever you want, babe."

Emma didn't catch the skeptical look that Regina gave her at her answer. Usually whoever turned the tv on first had control of the remote and over what they watched that evening. Especially because it was Monday night and usually Emma would have wanted to watch the Monday Night Football game, which was fine with Regina. She usually just read whatever book she had to that week for one of her book clubs as Emma enjoyed the game. But this evening, Emma was so lost in her thoughts she didn't even try to get the remote back from Regina.

After picking up Henry and Lucy from school, Emma had come home and surprised herself by deciding that tonight would be the night that she would propose to Regina. Why wait any longer? With her mom's help, she had found the perfect ring. And she really couldn't think of any other reasons to hold off any longer on proposing. She started her preparations right away. After she had picked out the perfect meal to cook that she was pretty confident she wouldn't ruin, she came up with a plan that involved her children and laid out the set up to them. At first they were a little confused, but as soon as she explained that she was doing what Uncle Jeff had done for Uncle August they immediately understood.

All of these thoughts and not messing up the plan until she could execute it were going through Emma's mind as Regina commented, "Wow. We almost never get to watch _Supergirl_ when it's actually on. I'm excited. I don't know how well I'm going to deal with having to watch the commercials though." Regina pouted at her last comment.

Emma looked down just in time to see her adorable expression. "I know. We're so spoiled because we mostly DVR everything," she replied with a smile. Just then a timer went off in the kitchen. Regina whined when Emma made the motion to get up. "I'll be right back, babe," Emma chuckled. "You don't want our dinner to burn, do you?"

"I guess not," Regina huffed. "Hurry back. I was really comfy."

"Okay," Emma chuckled. "I will. Babe, you haven't even taken your coat off yet," she commented over her shoulder as she made her way toward the kitchen.

"I know. I guess I'm still just so tired," Regina called back before letting her head fall back dramatically onto the couch.

Emma actually surprised herself when she pulled the lasagnas out of the oven. She leaned closely over them to smell just how well her hard work had turned out. Suddenly she remembered something. "Oh shoot! I forgot to add the red pepper flakes! Man!" Just as she turned back from retrieving them and was about to put a little on top, she heard the doorbell ring. As soon as she heard it, she cursed as she remembered that she had invited Jane over to watch the football game with her earlier that day. "Dammit, Emma. You dummy!"

Just as she reentered the living room, Regina was walking in with Jane and, surprisingly, Maura in tow. "Hey guys. Maur, what are you doing here?"

"Hi, Emma. I just came to see the children and Regina. I didn't feel like sitting at home by myself while my fiancé abandoned me," she answered.

"Maura, I think that's the first time I've ever heard you use sarcasm," Regina said in a genuinely shocked tone as she took everyone's coats from them and added them to her own to put into the closet.

"Yeah, it's a rare event but I've definitely witnessed it before," Emma said with a chuckle.

"So where are the little ones?" Maura asked.

"Probably upstairs playing," Emma answered quickly. "Why don't you guys follow me? I'll walk you up."

"Okay…," Jane responded. She could tell that something was up with her friend but she had no idea what it could be. Hopefully nothing too serious as they had just talked to each other earlier in the day.

"Actually I think I'll stay down here with Regina," Maura said as she saw what was on the tv.

"You do love your _Supergirl_ , Maur," Jane chuckled as she fell in step behind Emma as they made their way to the stairs.

Jane grabbed Emma's elbow when they reached the landing and made her turn to face her. "So what's up with you, Swan? Why are you acting all weird? And more importantly, why aren't we watching the pregame right now?"

"Glad to know that whatever is going on with me still doesn't beat the Pats in importance with you. Look, just… I'll explain everything once we're safe inside the kids' playroom," Emma said as she walked away from Jane.

"Hi, Aunt Jane!" Henry and Lucy got up and ran over to the brunette plowing into her legs and wrapping their arms around her.

"Hey, guys! How are my favorite niece and nephew doing?" Jane said as she crouched down to address them after unwrapping herself from their embraces.

"Good! We're helping mommy with a plan!" Henry answered.

"You are? And what exactly is that plan, bud?" Jane smirked and looked up at Emma who stood there grinning with her arms crossed.

"It's a secret!" Lucy answered. "Mama said we can't tell mommy, but we can tell you, Aunt Jane, right mama?" Lucy asked as she also looked up at Emma.

"Sure, sweetheart. Go ahead," Emma responded, uncrossing her arms.

Lucy then proceeded to lean in and whisper into Jane's ear. As the brunette listened, her expression changed dramatically. When Lucy was finally finished telling her secret Jane stood up with a giant smile on her face. "So you were going to propose to Regina tonight. Using the adorableness of your kids. Awesome plan, Swan," Jane punched Emma in the shoulder.

"Yup, I know. And I made her signature meal. Her lasagna recipe."

"Oh with the red pepper flakes!" Jane responded excitedly.

"Yeah. But it's all kinda ruined now that you and Maur are here," Emma said in a whiny voice.

"I mean, we could leave if you still wanna go through with it. It's cool," Jane replied.

"Nah. That would probably look weird and ruin it now," Emma huffed.

"Well, sorry Em. But I'm pretty sure you invited me over here before you got home and decided to propose to your woman, didn't you?" Jane asked with a knowing grin.

"Pretty much. Shut up with your stupid detective skills," Emma said childishly.

"Hey, don't be mad at me because you tried to be all spontaneous and romantic and it didn't work out for you," Jane chuckled.

"Yeah...I know. Alright guys, Operation Ring is gonna have to be put on hold for a little bit," Emma said, looking down at her children.

Henry and Lucy both groaned loudly before they stomped out of the room.

"Hey! Don't go down the stairs like that or your mother is going to ask you why you're so angry!"

"Em, I think you yelling that after them might ruin the future surprise more than they will," Jane said with a chuckle as she walked past Emma and left the room.

"Whatever," Emma responded as she followed her out. "I'm just so bummed, dude. It was gonna be so cute. You know, Regina's lasagna was the first meal that we all made together?"

"Well I gotta admit that is pretty cute. But don't fret, it'll go to good use," Jane said as the she loudly patted her stomach. "I had to skip lunch today."

* * *

"So did you happen to notice that our children were pouting throughout most of dinner?" Regina asked quietly as she looked over at Henry and Lucy who were now sitting contentedly on Maura and Jane's laps as they all continued to watch the DVR recording of _Supergirl_. A compromise had been made that they would turn to the football game after the superhero show was over.

"No, babe, I didn't. What do you mean?" Emma asked in an evasive tone.

Regina immediately picked up on this but decided to let it go. She leaned more into Emma as they were all squeezed together on the couch. "Hmmm. Maybe I just imagined it then. But they seemed way quieter than usual. Especially considering we have company over. I'm surprised they didn't talk Maura and Jane's ears off about what they did in school today."

"Yeah, I don't know…," Emma responded distractedly. Regina focused back on the television screen and realized that Emma was probably no longer listening to her as she saw her girlfriend's favorite character, Alex Danvers, on the screen.

* * *

Regina had put the children to bed and then decided to go to bed herself and read a little before going to sleep instead of rejoining Emma since she figured she had Jane and Maura to keep her company. The game ended a little while later and Emma came into the room pulling her shirt up and over her head as she closed the door behind her. She threw her shirt into the hamper before making her way over to the bed and flopping down on it face first still wearing the rest of her clothes.

"I take it they lost?" Regina asked with a small chuckle.

"Yeah. To a field goal with three seconds left. Nothing they could do," Emma said sadly into the mattress.

Regina put her bookmark in place and gently shut her book before placing it on her nightstand. She leaned forward towards Emma. "Want me to make you feel a little better?" she asked seductively.

"What do you have in mind?" Emma asked as she lifted her head and smiled.

* * *

Regina struggled to reach over and turn off her lamp as Emma had fallen asleep on her. She didn't want to wake her but she couldn't sleep with the light on. She shimmied the upper half of her body over just enough so that she could reach the lamp. As soon as she had succeeded in doing so she relaxed back into her original position. Her next problem was that she was now cold and although most of Emma's naked body was covering hers, she still wanted to cover them both with their comforter. As she made the motion to reach down for it, Emma stirred and groggily said, "What are you doing, Gina?" She hadn't even bothered to open her eyes.

"I'm sorry, love. I'm just kinda cold. But I couldn't reach the covers because this gorgeous blonde is sleeping on me."

"Well, you'd think she'd be enough to keep you warm at night," Emma responded.

"She is but her body can't cover my body as well as my comforter can," Regina replied.

"Wanna bet?" Emma then completely surprised Regina by shifting her entire body so that she was laying directly on top of the brunette.

Regina wrapped her arms around Emma lower back as Emma wrapped hers around Regina's neck. And then proceeded to lay her head on her shoulder after giving it a kiss and closing her eyes again. "Is that better?"

"Sure," Regina chuckled deeply.

"Stop laughing. I'm trying to sleep here," Emma said softly, trying to stifle a yawn.

"Okay, Em. Good night, then."

"Night, babe," Emma said sleepily. She made one last movement to pull their comforter up to cover them and then was sound asleep again almost immediately.

How quickly that woman could go in and out of sleep was still something that completely astonished Regina. Just then the moonlight caught on something and the glint of it caught Regina's eye. From her current position, she could vaguely make out what looked to be a small open box and then Regina had to physically stop herself from gasping out loud. It was definitely an engagement ring. All of a sudden the memory of something falling out of Emma's pocket during the impromptu lovemaking session came back to her. She could recall hearing a small thud as she threw Emma's pants away from the bed but thought nothing of it because she only had one goal in mind at the time. And nothing was going to stop her from reaching it.

Even more suddenly all of the events of the past evening started to make sense. Something had been going on since the moment that she had walked in the door. Her children being evasive and then moody at dinner. Emma being nervous and escorting Jane upstairs to say hello to the children. Even Emma making her lasagna for her. She was setting up the evening in order to propose to her. The icing on the cake was when right before she had put her children to bed and they were brushing their teeth she had gone to her room to grab something and on her way back she had stopped when she heard them attempting to whisper to each other about their dismay with having to hold off on Operation Ring. Once again, she had to stop herself from physically reacting and laughing at what could only have been Emma's name for their plan. She most likely had picked something that simple for their children's sakes but it was pretty adorable in Regina's opinion.

But how had she not seen the ring bulging out of Emma's pocket all night? And how had it not fallen out sooner? Regina looked for the haphazardly tossed jeans and realized that Emma was wearing her cargo pants that day. Apparently Regina was so tired that night that she hadn't even noticed that Emma was wearing them instead of her usual skinny jeans. Emma had bought a few pairs of them and begun to wear them pretty frequently to work lately because she liked how much of the stuff she used to have to wear on her duty belt that she could now easily fit into her numerous pockets. Luckily, Emma had a shift that would require her to get up earlier than Regina the next morning so Regina would just pretend as if she never saw the ring, and hopefully, Emma would notice it right away in the morning and put it away for safe keeping until she got the opportunity to propose to Regina again.

* * *

Unfortunately, the rest of the week went by with Emma being unable to propose to Regina. Mostly due to work and other obligations, Emma wasn't able to set up the situation again. She was so bummed about it that she told anyone that would listen to her about her proposal woes. It was Sunday, and yet again, everyone was gathered for family dinner. She sat in the family room with Zelena, Jefferson, August and Henry Mills.

"So you didn't get the chance to ask her again all week?" August asked. "I sorry, Em, that sucks. Although maybe it's karma for you ruining my chance to get to ask Jeff to marry me before he did," August said with a wink and a grin.

"Don't listen to him, Em. I say don't force it. The right moment'll come around. And it'll be perfect. Trust me," Jefferson chimed in.

"Yeah….I really hope so. The ring is so perfect, you guys! I know she's gonna love it. That is, if I can actually give it to her."

"Well what are your new game plans, mija?" Henry asked.

"Right now, I still don't really have any, Dad."

"I say you don't plan it out, Em. Just be spontaneous. Like Jeff said, you'll know it when you feel it. It worked out that way from Robby and me," Zelena stated.

"Yeah, I guess you're right, Z. I-"

"So Em, made any good arrests lately?" Jefferson asked way louder than was necessary.

"If I did, I'm sure you've heard them all by now since I've been partnered up with August for the past month or so… Why did you just yell that, Jeff? You do know we're inside and I sitting like ten feet away from you right now-Oh, hey babe! When did you get there?" Emma asked as she noticed Regina leaning in the doorway, wearing her coat. "What's up? You going outside?"

"Yes. Wanna come with me?" she asked.

"Sure. This game's pretty much a blowout anyway," Emma answered as she stood up from her seat.

"I wonder what that's about," Zelena questioned as the couple walked away from the room. "It's freezing outside. I don't know how Robin's out there playing with the kids right now," she stated as she went back to watching the game.

* * *

Regina took Emma's gloved hand as they walked outside. She led her away from where Robin and the children were playing tag. Surprisingly, Cora was also in on their game. She was currently "it" and having some trouble catching any of her younger and faster family members.

Emma looked up as she both saw and felt the light flurry of snow that had begun to fall. She was just regretting not putting on her beanie and turning towards Regina to say as much to her when she noticed that her girlfriend was bent down on one knee. Emma didn't even notice when Regina had let go of her hand and had stopped walking in stride with her.

"Oh my God," Emma whispered.

"I have a confession to make, Emma," Regina began. "I know that you had originally planned on proposing to me on Monday but that you missed your chance. But I have to admit that I'm also kind of happy that you did because it gave me the chance to do this."

Emma didn't know what to say or do but she felt her eyes fill with tears as she continued to listen to Regina.

"After Daniel, it was really hard for me to imagine meeting anyone who would be good enough to have a life with Lucy and me. But thank God I was wrong. Emma, you and Henry have made me the happiest that I think I can ever be and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Both of you. So Emma Swan, will you continue to make me the happiest woman on Earth and be my wife?" Regina finally pulled a ring out her pocket and held it up for Emma.

"Yes, Gina, yes! I'll marry you!" Emma ignored the ring and grabbed both sides of Regina's face as she gave her a passionate kiss before pulling her to her feet to hug her tightly.

"Here," Regina said as Emma finally let her go. She removed her glove and slid the unique ring onto Emma's finger.

"Babe, this is beautiful. Where did you get this?" Emma asked as she held out her finger to admire her new ring.

"It was my grandmother's actually. My mom gave it to me when I was a teenager. It isn't exactly my style but I remembered that I had it once I decided that I wanted to propose to you. And I thought that it was perfectly you," Regina said with a smile.

"Well it is perfect. Thank you," Emma said as she placed a sweet and gentle kiss on Regina's lips.

"It's funny that my mom gave it to me then. I guess she knew even before I did that I was possibly going to propose to someone one day instead of getting proposed to."

"And dammit woman, you beat me to it! You're still going to wear the ring I got you though, right?" Emma asked as she looped her arm thru Regina's and began to lead them back towards the house.

"Of course, dear! It did look perfect for me and so beautiful even in the pale moonlight."

"Oohhh, so that's how you found out. Okay, that makes sense now. I kind of figured there was no way you didn't see that laying there when I saw it the next morning. But then I figured I'd be proposing some other time that week so it didn't really matter. What made you do it here today, babe?"

"I don't know. It just felt right and I really liked Jeff's idea about how he was originally going to propose to August here," Regina stated as she reached for the door to open it for Emma. The tag players were all back in the house by then. Everyone else were gathered in the kitchen as the fiancés walked back in.

Zelena almost immediately noticed the ring on Emma's fingers. "OH. MY. GOD. ARE YOU TWO ENGAGED NOW?!" she screeched as she ran over to take Emma's hand to inspect her new ring. "Wait, I thought you were going to propose to Gina," Zelena stated genuinely confused.

"That's the beauty of being in a gay relationship, Z. It doesn't matter who proposes to who. I think it's more fun that way," Jeff commented from across the room.

"She beat me to it!" Emma responded proudly. "So who won the bet?" Emma asked with a grin.

"What bet? Em, what are you talking about?" Regina asked but she was looking around the room at all of the other adults when she did so. They all immediately stopped in their tracks and looked down at Regina's question.

"Yeah, so when I asked Dad for his permission to ask you to marry me he said that I didn't even have to do that and how everyone had placed bets on when we would be getting engaged," Emma responded.

"Okay," Regina chuckled. "That actually seems about right with this family. Wait, but were the bets about when we would be getting married or when we would be getting engaged, dear? Because if you're in on this bet we can wait to get married so we can make the most money that we can," Regina whispered conspiratorially to Emma.

Though Zelena heard her as she was still standing right in front of them. "Nope! Gina's trying to cheat everyone!" she announced to the rest of the room.

"It's on both so we can still make a little money off of the getting married part," Emma whispered back to Regina.

They walked farther into the room and accepted hugs and congratulations from everyone. Before Cora could even suggest a double wedding Regina shot her down. But she couldn't stop her from talking her ear off about their future wedding plans. Emma just agreed with whatever Cora was suggesting because she had a bigger problem on her hands. Who would she pick to be her best woman? Ruby or Jane?


	30. Chapter 30

"But Gina, I'm your sister, she's only your friend," Zelena whined. "Who's more important?"

"Well you can always be co-MOHs, right?" Regina answered as she walked away from the bar with fresh drinks for her and Emma.

"But you were mine, why can't I be yours?" Zelena pleaded.

"Z, I don't owe you that. And for a second time, I might add. Did you forget that I was already married once? Besides Kat and I agreed to be each other's maids of honor when we were in like grade school playing wedding. So I think you're going to have to concede on this one, sis."

"Well okay. I guess when you put it like that. You and Daniel did have a beautiful wedding," Zelena reminisced.

"It was a gorgeous day and ceremony," Regina hummed in agreement. "I'll never forget it. But marrying Emma is going to be so amazing!"

"It better be," Emma said as she walked up behind the two sisters slightly startling them. "Put these down. It's time to dance." She took the drinks from Regina and handed them over to Zelena. Before the redhead could even respond, Emma gave Regina a kiss on the cheek, took her hand and led her to the dance floor.

"This is such a good song," Emma said softly to Regina as the two swayed gently and held each other closely. "So what do want our song to be for our first dance?" she asked.

"Mmmm...good question, dear. I don't know. I haven't really given it much thought but maybe, _I Choose You_ by Sara Bareilles or _Lucky_ by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillet or _I Choose You_ by Andy Grammer. Or we could go with a classic like _My Girl_."

"Oh so you've given it a little bit of thought then," Emma chuckled.

"Emma, not a minute of my day goes by without a thought of you in it," Regina stated.

"Oh, babe," Emma sniffled. "I've done enough crying for one day. Please don't make me start again."

"You were very emotional during the ceremony. It surprised me even."

"Well I've known them for so long and they're so good together. I guess seeing them finally tie the knot was an emotional moment for me. I didn't think that I would cry that much though."

"But now I can imagine how much you're probably going to cry at our wedding."

"Me too. So much so that I don't think I can wear too much make-up. I don't want to ruin all of our pictures."

"Oh please. You couldn't not look beautiful even if you tried."

"Babe, seriously stop. I'm going to have to go to the bathroom so I don't look like a mess again."

Jane and Maura swung by them then just long enough for Jane to get in a quick dig. "Swan are you okay, man? I could barely hear my wife's vows over all that blubbering you were doing."

"Really, Jane?! You're lucky it's your wedding day or I'd tell that story about the time we watched _The Lion King_ together in college," Emma called after her.

"Why is that so embarrassing? What happened?" Regina asked.

"Oh, she lost it when Mufasa died. Like she was still trying not to sob up until the part that Simba finally decided to go back and fight Scar," Emma answered.

"What?" Regina laughed. "That's pretty much like the end of the movie. I'm so going to ask her if she wants to watch it the next time they come over."

"Please do. I'd love to see her reaction. It'll probably be priceless."

"So who are you making your best woman, her or Ruby?"

"I don't know, Gina," Emma exhaled. "That's a tough one. I mean, Jane is definitely my oldest friend, but I've known Ruby since before I had Henry and we bonded almost instantly. Although I figure if Ruby gets married to Belle she'll probably make me hers, right? It's still a toss up at this point."

"Why don't you do what I almost had to with Z and Kat and just make them co-best women. They get to share in the duties and responsibilities. I'm pretty sure neither one of them would mind doing that."

"Babe, you're almost as smart are you are gorgeous," Emma said before kissing her and leading her off of the dance floor.

"Only almost?" Regina asked as they made their way to their table.

* * *

"I think it was cool how Jay and Maur didn't do the traditional groom and bridal party thing," Ruby stated to the table.

"I agree, Red. Or how they weren't given away by their parents," Belle replied.

"Well I think we all know that Angela will never fully give her children away to anyone," Ingrid said with a chuckle.

"You got that right, Mom," Emma said as she raised her glass.

"Hey Regina, why aren't your brother and future brother-in-law here?" Ingrid asked.

"Oh they had another holiday wedding to go to. And they knew them better than they know Jane and Maura so they made an executive decision to go to that one. That's fine with me though. All they seem to do lately is fight about who's going to take who's last name. It's getting kind of ridiculous," Regina answered.

"Tell me about it. It doesn't even really matter until they decide to have kids, right?" Emma chimed in.

"So have you discussed what your new last name is going to be?" Ingrid asked with a grin.

"Yup! Swan-Mills," Emma answered confidently.

"Oh, I think you meant to say Mills-Swan, dear," Regina quickly responded.

"Now look at what you've started, Ms. Fisher," Ruby said, shaking her head.

"I didn't mean anything by it. I'm purely just curious about what my grandson's new last name is going to be…"

"Well I say whoever is oldest gets to choose," Regina stated.

"That's not fair! Your birthday is February 1st."

"Thank you for stating when my birthday is. So I guess you don't want to determine it that way then?"

"No. Obviously. How about the mother of the oldest child?"

"Well that would obviously make it your name then since Henry was born exactly one month before Luce. I don't think so, Em."

"Seriously? You two are being ridiculous right now," Ruby chuckled.

"I say you let the children choose," Belle said, pointing at the two toddlers who were running ahead of Robin and Zelena.

"Mommy I danced on Uncle Robin's feet!" Lucy said as she jumped into her brunette mother's lap.

"And Aunt Z let me dance on hers too!" Henry said happily to his grandmother.

"What do you think, Gina?" Emma asked.

"I think Belle is a very smart woman and I would like to see what our children think."

"Okay. Come here, sweetheart," Emma said reaching for Lucy. She immediately jumped out of Regina's lap and ran over to Emma. "Mommy and I are trying to figure out what our new last name is going to be after we get married. Do you like Swan-Mills or Mills-Swan better?" Emma asked as she lifted Lucy to sit in her lap.

"Um… Swan-Mills!" Lucy answered with a happy clap.

"Yes! Put her there Luce!"

Lucy eagerly high-fived her blonde mother.

Regina feigned hurt and shock as she gasped dramatically and put her hand to her chest. "But why, mija?"

"Because swan is a pretty bird," she answered simply with a shrug. She leaned into Emma and gave her mother a kiss on her cheek.

"That's my girl."

"Wait, but we didn't even get Henry's opinion yet," Regina pleaded.

"Henry. What do you think bud?"

"I don't care. Whatever Luce said," he said with a shrug, not even looking up from playing with the tulle on his grandmother's dress.

"Betrayed by my own daughter and son," Regina said with a shake of her head. "I never would've thought I'd live to see the day."

"Well to be fair, Henry seems to be pretty indifferent about the whole matter. So…" Emma smugly replied.

"Why can't you just be like your newly married best friend and take your future wife's last name in front of yours?" Regina asked.

"Oh it's just Isles now," Jane said as she walked up to the table and joined the conversation.

"But the DJ announced you two as Isles-Rizzoli when you came in," Emma said in a confused tone.

"Yeah I don't really know why he did that. Although now that I think about it all of the invitations and stuff said that so I guess he was just going off of that."

"Wait so you really gave up your last name, Jane? For reals?"

"Yeah. I didn't see what the big deal was. I've got two brothers to carry on the family name and Maura's name is way easier to sign then mine. Those double z's are a bitch." She mouthed the curse word for the children's sakes. "And it made Maura really happy. Plus what my woman wants-"

"Your woman gets," everyone at the table finished for her. "We know," they somehow all managed to say in unison.

"Alright, jeez," Jane responded. "I didn't know I said that that much," she mumbled to no one in particular.

"All of the time, mate," Robin replied. "And we don't even hang out together that much," he then stated.

"Well, on that note, I'm going to go find my wife. She's making her way around the room in the other direction so we can meet back up at the start. Hmmm….I don't think I'll ever get tired of saying that," Jane sighed.

"Saying what, Jane?" Regina asked.

"My wife," she answered with a huge smile on her face.

* * *

"It's freezing out here!" Emma said with a shiver. "I can't believe that they decided to go with the winter wonderland theme that your mom suggested."

"Don't worry, dear. The tent for the reception is well heated," Regina replied as she wrapped an arm around Emma and rubbed up and down her arm in a futile attempt to warm her up.

"What's taking them so long?" Emma whined. "We need to get this thing going already."

"Wow. Someone really doesn't deal with the cold very well," Regina chuckled.

"You know that about me already, babe. Why do you think we're always all cuddled up and wrapped around each other when we watch tv?"

"I thought it was because you loved me and wanted to be close to me at all times," Regina responded as she suddenly stopped trying to warm Emma up.

"Well yeah, that and the fact that you're a human heater who likes to keep the heat at 65 or lower."

"Just because we both have good jobs doesn't mean we have to overspend. Did you see the electric bill for last month?"

"Nope! That's your bill. I don't have to worry about that one," Emma said with a grin. "Oh good, finally! They're starting."

After hearing the music begin, everyone turned towards the small aisle to see Henry and Lucy somehow managing to make their ways down it perfectly calmly. Emma and Regina couldn't contain their proud smiles.

"They're so cute!" Emma whispered.

"Yeah. I'm so happy they're not running and ruining the moment," Regina commented.

"Which is actually is sorta surprising since they didn't once achieve that goal during the mulitple rehearsals."

"I know. But I think they realize how important this ceremony is to their uncles," Regina whispered back.

Next came Jefferson walking arm in arm with Cora. Followed by August and Henry. August had his arm looped thru Henry's. Each parent proudly dropped their sons off at the altar with a kiss to their cheeks before sitting down in the front row with the rest of the family.

Emma was about to comment on being happy that she thought she wasn't going to cry as hard at this wedding as she had at Maura and Jane's. But when she turned to Regina to do so she saw tears already streaming down her fiancé's face. "Oh, babe. You can't cry too much. It's freezing out here."

"Oh, I'll be fine," Regina sniffled in response. She turned away from the altar when she felt a tap on her arm. She looked down to see Henry holding up a handkerchief. "Here, mommy. Grandpa said you might need it," he said as he handed it to her.

"Oh. Such the little gentleman. Thank you, baby," Regina responded as she took it from him with a small smile.

"You welcome," he said as he scooted back to sit more comfortably in his chair.

* * *

Both men got through most of their vows without crying, but most of the ceremony was a very emotional one for the extended Mills family. Everyone was so grateful to get to witness the youngest of the Mills children declaring his love for his partner with the knowledge that this was something they hadn't even considered to be possible less than a year ago. As the two men sealed their recited vows with a kiss amid clapping and cheers, Regina was finally able to stop crying. As everyone stood up and the newlyweds walked back down the aisle, Regina grabbed Emma's face and planted a long, wet kiss on her lips.

"What was that for?" Emma asked a little dazed from their kiss.

"What? Can't I express my joy by kissing the woman that I love?" Regina asked, wearing a huge smile and holding Emma closely.

"Yeah! I just...I don't know. I guess I wasn't expecting it," Emma replied honestly.

"Well how about this?" Regina leaned in to whisper into Emma's ear. "What do you say we go up to my old room. And I can try to warm you up some before the reception."

Emma didn't even bother to respond verbally. She just grabbed Regina's hand and walked as fast as she could without looking like she was running back towards the house with Regina in tow laughing as she tried to keep up with Emma without tripping and falling.

* * *

"I knew none of you would be able to keep it together," Jefferson said to his family. They all sat around one huge table. "I even caught Roland sniffling at one point," he laughed.

"No I wasn't! I just had some dust in my eye," Roland retorted.

"Sure, dude. Because we weren't outside or anything. You can't even say a leaf, man. It's January. All the trees are bare," Jefferson pointed out.

"Whatever. I'm going to go get some more punch," Roland replied defiantly as he quickly stood up from the table.

"It's alright to cry, son! We all did," Robin called out after him. "Honestly I think the only ones who didn't were Henry and Luce. Where did those two get off to anyway?" he asked as he looked around the tent.

"Oh I think they went to go dance with Mom and Dad," August said, pointing behind him in the direction of the small dance floor. "But where are their mothers?"

"Good point, sweetie. I haven't seen them since the end of our ceremony," Jefferson replied, looking around for them.

"Speak of the devils," Zelena said as she grinned and nodded toward Emma and Regina who were making their way over to their family's table.

"And where have you two been?" Zelena asked with an amused smirk.

"Nowhere. I just wanted to show Emma something upstairs," Regina said, looking down as she allowed Emma to pull her chair out for her before she sat down.

"So how many times have you two done it in your old room now, Gina?" Zelena asked, hardly able to contain her smile.

Emma stopped halfway to her seat and Regina answered, "Well that is none of your business, Z."

"Yeah don't worry, Z. I don't think they can break yours and Robin's record in that department," Jefferson chuckled.

"You guys, there are children present," Emma whisper-shouted.

"Nope, they're all off either dancing or taking a really long time to get more punch," Jefferson stated confidently.

"What do you mean, Uncle Jeff? I'm sitting right here," Robyn said happily as she ate some appetizers.

"Wow, that's a little embarrassing, mate," Robin chuckled.

"What were Aunt Gina and Emma doing in her old room, daddy?" Robyn then asked.

Jefferson laughed loudly. "Now who's the embarrassed one?"

"Still me," Emma stated, finally sitting all the way down.

"Hey, guys!" Ruby greeted everyone as she and Belle approached their table. "What took you two so long to get down here?" she asked Regina and Emma directly.

Emma sighed as she put her chin down on her chest. "We were just getting past this, Rubes."

"What do you mean? What happened?" Ruby asked genuinely confused.

"Regina was just showing Emma something in her old room," August answered with a grin.

"Oh, what?" Belle asked.

"Seriously, Belle?!" Emma responded.

Regina chuckled as she said, "Don't ask. I'll tell you at work, Belle."

"Wait, what? You two talk about stuff like that at work?" Emma frantically asked.

"Well…" Belle and Regina said simultaneously.

"Let's do dance, Em," Regina said, standing up suddenly and grabbing Emma's hand.

"Yes, let's," Belle said as she turned away from the table after taking Ruby's hand.

* * *

"Thank God it won't be nearly this cold when we get married, right babe?" Emma asked as she held Regina closely.

"Yes, love. We just have to settle on which Spring month you want to get married in," Regina replied calmly.

"Good. How about April?"

"Well it usually rains a lot in April, dear."

"Well it's still too cold in March for my taste. How about May then?"

"I like it. We don't have to be cliché and have a June wedding," Regina stated happily.

"Alright. So it's settled then. Great!"

"Excellent!" Cora exclaimed, causing both women to jump. "I'm sorry but I couldn't help but overhear that you two have finally almost picked a date?"

"Yes, Mom. We have. Did you just happen to overhear us or were you dancing that closely to us on purpose?" Regina asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Grandma told me to be real quiet while we danced next to you, mommy," Henry stated proudly.

Emma laughed. "Outed by your own grandson. That's gotta be a little embarrassing, huh?" Emma then asked.

"Not really, no" Cora responded as they all continued to dance near each other.

"Yeah, haven't you learned that yet, Em? She has like no shame."

"I don't know how I could've possibly forgotten that," Emma responded with a chuckle.

"So did you see any of those bridal magazines that I left for you in your room, Gina?"

"No we didn't see any, Cora." Emma winced as soon as she'd finished her sentence.

"Mmmm. Showing your fiancé something in your old room again huh, Gina?"

"Well I-we just-," Regina stuttered unable to get out a suitable excuse.

"How many times does that make now, girls?" Cora said with a wink as she spun her and Henry away from the mothers whom had both stopped dancing and stood looking after her slack jawed.

* * *

Emma had decided it was time to cash in on the suggestion that Regina had made at her friends' wedding to invite Jane, and of course Maura, over to watch _The Lion King_ with them. Emma had then made the decision to go for the full embarrassment factor and also invited Belle, Ruby, Lily, Mulan and Zelena and Kat over as well. She posited that they were having a girls' night and that their children would be spending the night at her mother's house. But at the last moment her mother cancelled on her for a sudden weekend getaway with Maleficent. Henry and Cora were at the cottage for the week. And Jefferson, August and Robin were taking Roland and Robyn to the Patriots playoff game after Jefferson had scored some tickets through winning a radio contest.

Pizza and wine were had for the adults. Pizza and juice for Henry and Lucy. Everyone was settled in their respective seats enjoying the movie. As the infamous stampede scene began, Emma whispered into Regina's ear, "Now watch. Here come the waterworks."

"I still don't think Jane's actually going to cry. Not like real tears, right?" Regina asked quietly. Emma just grinned mischievously and shrugged her shoulders in answer.

They were halfway thru the scene. Everyone eyes were glued to the tv. Some people were even unknowingly leaning forward in their seats. The moment Simba went over to Mufasa urging him to get up, Jane burst out sobbing so loudly that a few people jumped.

"Told you," Emma chuckled quietly as Regina and several others looked in Jane's direction with both confusion and concern on their faces.

"Mama, why is Aunt Jane crying?" Lucy asked from her seat on the floor in front of the couch.

"Oh she's just sad about Mufasa, sweetheart," Emma answered, completely unable to keep the laughter out of her voice now.

"Seriously, Jane are you alright?" Zelena asked.

"Yeah- I'll- be- okay-," she managed to get out in between sobs.

"Have you _seen_ this movie before, Jane?" Kathryn asked. "You know what happens, right?"

"Yeah, it's just- It's so sad!" she said before a fresh wave of crying escaped her.

"Okay, let's go get you cleaned up, honey," Maura said gently as she stood up, bringing Jane with her and walking them towards the bathroom.

"Man, is she going to be alright?" Mulan asked as they left the room.

"Yup. Just don't be surprised if she continues to quietly sob for most of the rest of the movie," Emma answered.

"Why though? It has a happy ending," Lily stated confusedly.

Everyone was now looking at Emma for an explanation. All she gave them with a knowing grin and a dramatic shrug.

As they all turned their attention back to the movie, Regina whispered, "Did she do something to you recently, dear?"

"Maybe. Maybe not," Emma answered vaguely.

"Emma…"

"Look, all I have to say is don't ruin a show that I've been waiting to binge watch and then laugh in my face about it," Emma replied lightly as she took a sip of her wine.

"This is about _Stranger Things_?" Regina gasped.

"Babe, she literally described like the whole show to me in four or five sentences. Just because her wife asked what the big deal was with it," Emma stated a little angrily.

"So you felt the need to punish her for that by essentially embarrassing her in front of all of our friends?" Regina asked incredulously.

"I was only on episode two, Gina!" Emma said more loudly than she intended which drew a few perplexed looks from her friends.

"Okay, dear. Calm down," Regina chuckled as she patted Emma's forearm. "It's still a very good show regardless."

"I know," Emma exhaled. "You're right."

"I know I'm right, Em. And I think that maybe you should apologize to her when she comes back," Regina suggested.

"I guess so," Emma immaturely responded.

Jane and Maura didn't reappear until Simba had taken the Pridelands back from Scar's control.

"You good, Jane?" Emma asked as the couple sat back down in their seats.

"Yeah, Em. Thanks," Jane answered with a sniffle and a smile.

"She usually does have an emotional reaction to that part of the film but I guess her reaction was intensified because of her current physiological state," Maura stated matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, I guess my hormones are all out of whack since-" Jane begin.

"OH MY GOD, you're pregnant!" Regina interrupted her.

"WHAT?!" Emma responded. "REALLY!? But Maura hasn't even had your first baby yet!"

"I know," Jane chuckled. "I don't even know what we were thinking but it's already done. So, yeah," she said with a huge smile.

Everyone else were finally finished giving the couple their congratulations when Jane asked in Emma's direction, "So was that payback for me ruining _Stranger Things_ for you?"

"Kind of! I had successfully avoided spoilers for over a year, Jane!"


	31. Chapter 31

"Mommies! Can we go to the car now please?!" Henry asked, standing in front of the door and bouncing up and down.

"Yes, mijo. Everything should be packed. Let's just double check before we get you all strapped in though, okay," Regina answered.

"Okay!"

"Emma!" Regina shouted in the direction of the stairs. "Are you and Luce all ready to go?!"

"Yeah, babe. Hold your horses. We're coming right now," Emma responded as she descended the steps with Lucy on her hip. Both wore huge smiles.

"What were you two up to up there?" Regina asked with a skeptical tilt of her head.

"Nothing!" they both answered way too fast and in unison.

"Okay… Well Henry is more than ready to go. And so am I. Everything should be all packed right, love?"

"Yes dear."

"That's mommy's word, not yours," Henry stated.

"Which mommy, kid?" Emma asked with a grin.

"Gina-mommy," Henry promptly answered.

"Well that's a new one," Regina said with a chuckle. "But thank you for defending the honor of one of my favorite words for me, Henry. Alright, let's go," she said as she ushered everyone out of the door ahead of her.

* * *

"I wonder if they're going to be this good at Spanish all their lives," Emma mused as she turned back forward from observing Lucy teaching Henry the Spanish lullaby she learned from their grandfather.

"You've picked up on what I say in Spanish most of the time now pretty well. Children have a stronger propensity to learn other languages. But between me and my father, I would say they'll know a healthy amount of it their entire lives. Z, Jeff and I used to be able to have full conversations with my dad in it," Regina stated proudly.

"Really? Wow."

"Yeah, I don't even think we knew we were doing it half the time. Daddy would just start speaking to us, asking us about our day or some other inane subject and we'd naturally answer him in Spanish."

"That's cool. So how have you never taken Luce up to the cottage before?"

"Well I guess since the stables were closed, I didn't really have a reason to come up here. And then it was really tough for me to make the trip after Daniel's death," Regina replied quietly.

"Oh, babe. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up those bad memories for you," Emma responded quickly.

"No. It's-it's okay. Really. I'm just glad I was able to finally get past that tragedy and now I can share these places with my family," Regina said as she took Emma's hand in hers and placed a kiss on the back of it.

"Me too," Emma said, giving Regina's hand a loving squeeze. As she pulled into the driveway, Emma looked over her shoulder and announced happily, "We're here, guys!"

"YAY!"

* * *

"Mommy can we go see the horsies?" Lucy asked as soon as they stepped thru the door. "And I have to pee pee."

"Okay, mija," Regina chuckled. "Let me show you where it is, but let's take your coat off first."

Regina was helping both children out of their coats when Emma dramatically entered the cottage carrying all of the bags and suitcases at once. She dropped them unceremoniously as soon as she was completely over the threshold. "Whew! Now that that's done, who's ready to go and see some horsies?" she excitedly asked no one in particular.

"I am, I am!" "MEEE!" Henry and Lucy both said as they jumped up and down.

"Okay but first we have to go the bathroom," Regina said with a laugh. "Do you want to put all of the bags away in our rooms?"

"Babe I just go thru the door with all of this stuff. By myself, I might add."

"Well I don't recall anyone asking you to carry all of our bags in by yourself. Also it looks like you missed a couple," Regina pointed out as she looked around at all of the bags.

"Omg, deja vu. We're only here for a long weekend, babe. How many clothes did you pack for us?"

"Enough. And maybe a few more than needed. But you're the one who put me in charge of packing the clothes while you planned out the activities."

"Well, yeah. You shouldn't have to worry about what you're doing for your birthday weekend. It should be a surprise," Emma stated as she stepped closer to her fiancé and naturally put her hand on top of her son's head as she leaned forward to give Regina a quick kiss on the lips.

"Thank you. And I appreciate that you went to so much trouble," Regina replied as she broke their kiss. "But you still have to get those last few bags out of the car before we can do anything, dear," she stated with a wicked grin before walking her children down the hall so that they could use the bathroom. "Why don't you pick out some riding outfits for us when you get back inside," she called out to Emma over her shoulder.

"Why don't you do it? I don't even know where anything is packed," Emma grumbled to herself as she walked back out the door.

* * *

"A PONY!" Lucy shouted. Before Regina could even react she had pulled out of her hand and run towards the pony she saw, leading Henry by the hand right behind her.

"So I have to give you one of your presents early," Emma stated.

"Emma, no. Wait until tomorrow. I already said I don't want any early ones," Regina responded.

"Trust me. You're gonna want this one. Especially for today," Emma said as she whipped out a small, wrapped box from her backpack.

"I was wondering why you were carrying that bag with you today," Regina stated as she accepted the gift with a grin. "Let's see what we've got here," she said with a smile as she carefully opened it.

"Seriously, babe? I'm about to open it for you. C'mon! It's okay to rip through the wrapping paper."

"But why would I do that when I can see how much anguish my slow unwrapping is causing you, dear."

"This is one of those moments when you're gorgeousness outways your annoyingness. Lucky for you."

"Emma," Regina then gasped. "This is beautiful. How much did this cost you?"

"Nah ah," Emma said, shaking her head. "You're not allowed to ask that. Or know how long I had to save up for it. Just start using it already," she said as she pointed in front of them to where Lucy and Henry were tentatively petting a pony.

Regina smiled and nodded her head in the affirmative before handing Emma the box she no longer needed and walking forward to take a picture with her new professional digital camera that she actually knew the price of now that she had gotten a better look at it in her hands. She had said something about the fact that she wouldn't mind having been able to take her own pictures at her brother's wedding. And Emma had asked the photographer there what type of camera he was using once Regina kept pointing out perfect picture opportunities throughout most of the reception that she thought the lone photographer was missing out on. Then when Regina told her that she had dabbled in photography in high school when she was the photographer for her school's newspaper Emma had lovingly called her a dork. Regina had corrected her and said she was in fact, a self-proclaimed nerd. And Emma had to physically stop herself from dragging Regina away from the party again and in order to add to their current record for lovemaking in Regina's childhood bedroom.

She walked up to her family unable to contain her huge smile as she watched Regina crouch down to get a better angle for capturing this first moment in their children's lives. As she stood back up a few minutes later she handed the camera to Emma and then proceeded to properly introduce the pony to her children.

"Hey, you guys are here much earlier than I expected."

Everyone looked up and over to where the voice had come from. They saw Maleficent walking toward them with a pleasant smile. "The Swan-Mills clan has decided to grace my stables with their wonderful presence," she said as she got closer to them.

"Hey, Mal," Emma greeted her.

"Hi, Mal," Regina said with a smile.

"Hey grandma!" Lucy and Henry said together.

"Hi, babies! I see you've met Peppermint," Maleficent said as she kneeled down and began to tell them more about the pony.

Regina stood up and beside Emma as she observed them. "So when then that start?" she asked Emma with a grin.

"Oh, the grandma thing? I don't know. I noticed it a couple of months ago when I picked them up from my mom's house one day after school. I mean, she's there so much now. I guess it makes sense for them to call her that in their minds."

"It's cute. I'm surprised it doesn't bother her though. I don't think she expected to be anyone's grandmother so soon. Given that Lily is still pretty young," Regina stated.

"Good point. All I know is I don't plan on calling her 'mom' anytime soon," Emma whispered to Regina.

Regina couldn't help but to laugh loudly at that, which immediately got Maleficent's attention.

"What's so funny, Reggie?"

"Oh nothing, Mal. So where's your daughter this weekend?"

Emma decided to give them a little privacy to converse. She put her bag and the box for the camera down as she looked at Regina's present a bit more closely. "Do you mind if I take a few, babe?"

"Not at all. Do you know how to use it?"

"I think I can figure it out," Emma responded with a chuckle.

Maleficent had stood up to answer Regina's question and the two naturally began to walk farther down thru the stables as they talked. "Lily is with Mulan. She's been spending a lot of her time there with her in Storybrooke. She always makes sure to tell me when she'll be spending the night at Mulan's place. And I keep telling her that she is a grown woman and she doesn't need to check in with me every night. But she always does. It's kind of cute actually. I find it endearing," she said with a small smile.

"So how do you like Mulan?" Regina asked.

"I'll be honest with you, Reggie. At first I was a little concerned for Lily. Mulan being her first serious partner. Not that Emma wasn't but, I think we both know that she probably wasn't in love with her."

"Yes, that's been pretty well established," Regina chuckled.

"But once I was properly introduced to Mulan, I've gotta say I found her to be a very honorable young woman. She takes really good care of my baby."

"You still see her that way? As your baby?"

"She'll always be my baby."

"So are you solo this weekend?"

"I didn't want to say anything because I know it's still a little weird for Emma, but Ingrid's actually back at my house right now. Recovering from last," Maleficent said with a wink.

"That-well. Thank goodness Emma isn't with us right now to hear that bit of news," Regina chuckled, shaking her head.

"Yeah… But I'm sure she'll be down to see you and the babies before the day is over. How long are you going to be here today?"

"Probably for most of it. I'm thinking I'm going to teach them to ride today," Regina stated confidently.

"Oh my gosh! Make sure you take lots of pics on your phone so you can send them to us."

"Okay," Regina chuckled. "I will."

They had made their way back to Emma, Lucy and Henry. Maleficent said goodbye to the family. And subtly let Emma know that her mother was here and that she'd be down to see them a little later.

"Man, I really have no idea when I'll fully get used to her being with my mom," Emma stated with a sigh.

"Just know that your mom is happy with her and our kids get one more grandparent to spoil them. That's less stuff we have to buy them for Christmas and birthdays," Regina pointed out.

Emma laughed. "Excellent point, babe."

* * *

They spent the rest of the morning and afternoon learning how to ride from Regina. She somehow managed to successfully instruct all three of the novices to the point where they each had enough confidence to individually ride their own horses after a while without needing much of Regina's help. After still much needed persuasion from Regina, she and Emma had decided to take a small journey out away from the stables and back before they finally left for the day. Henry sat in front of Regina and Lucy with Emma. Maleficent happened to catch them just before they went and was able to take a picture of all of them together. She made sure to let them know that she'd text the pictures to them later.

They were back at their cottage relaxing before dinner when there was an unexpected knock on the door. Regina stood up from the sofa to go answer it. She was pleasantly surprised when she opened it to find her future mother-in-law. "Ingrid, hi!"

"Hi, Regina! I'm sorry I missed you all when you were at the stables. But I wanted to drop off your gift," she said as she handed a gift bag to Regina.

"Mom?" Emma had walked over to join her fiancé at the door after hearing her mother's voice.

"Oh, Ingrid. You didn't have to get me anything," Regina stated as she accepted the gift.

"Of course I have to get my future daughter-in-law something for her birthday. Don't be ridiculous."

"She's the best gift giver, Gina. I wouldn't turn down whatever she got you," Emma stated.

"I'll take your word for it, dear. Ingrid, why don't you stay for dinner. It's almost ready. I mean, that is if you don't have any previous plans with Mal."

"Actually she has a business dinner tonight. So I would've been alone at her house waiting for her come home."

"Mom, why are still standing outside," Emma stated as she pulled Ingrid across the threshold. "We've got plenty. And even if we didn't you know you're always welcome wherever we are."

"Thank you, sweetie," Ingrid said with a small smile as she took off her coat, gloves, and scarf.

"Let me get those for you," Regina suggested as she reached for Ingrid's discarded outerwear. Emma led her mother over to the sofa as Regina hung everything up on the coatrack and then went to go check on their dinner.

"Hey you two! Guess who's here for dinner?!" Emma announced.

Both children looked up from their toys and immediately responded, "Grandma!"

"Hi!" Ingrid managed to get out before she was bombarded with hugs from the toddlers.

"Grandma, we got a cake for mommy!"

"Shhh! Henry. She's coming right back," Emma playfully admonished him.

"Oh did you?" Ingrid chuckled. "That's really nice, honey. What kind is it?"

"Her favorite!" Lucy answered for him. "Ice cream cake!"

"Really? Okay," Ingrid responded. She looked over to her daughter, "That's what you went with?"

"What? She loves ice cream. Plus it was the only way that I could manage to hide it from her," Emma replied lowly. "Anyway," she said in her normal voice when she saw Regina walking towards them. "Is it ready, babe?"

"Yes. Dinner is now served," Regina responded. "Ingrid, I was going to open a bottle of wine. Would you prefer red or white?" Regina then asked.

"Oh, I'm not picky about that. But I really feel like I'm intruding on your family birthday celebration. I can go if-"

"Mom, no," Emma responded.

"No, not at all," Regina said at the same time. "Besides you are family. Why wouldn't we want you to be here with us?" She gave Ingrid a wide smile as she squeezed her shoulder in further reassurance.

* * *

"So I still can't believe how well Mal is dealing with being called grandma," Regina stated. "I mean I guess it probably would have been an inevitable thing at this point. Especially considering how inseparable Lily and Mulan are now."

"It was actually really adorable the first time they said it to her. I could see how it took her by surprise but she accepted it almost right away. And now it's not even a question," Ingrid relayed with a smile.

"Emma said she noticed that it started a couple of months ago," Regina responded.

"Yes. It was a pleasant surprise for both of us. Mal had showed up at my house unexpectedly after I had put the children to bed with some microwave popcorn and a bottle of my favorite merlot. One thing led to another and she ended up sleeping over that night. The next morning when she came down to join us for breakfast the children just naturally greeted her as grandma. You should've seen us both trying not to overreact to it. I think we almost passed out trying not to hyperventilate."

"So are you two like living together now here and at your place, or…? How is that working exactly?" Emma asked in a hard tone.

"Honey. You're really going to have to accept the fact that she's not going anywhere anytime soon. You know that right?"

"Yes. I know that," Emma said with sigh. "And I'm really glad that she makes you so happy. But you're dating the woman who hit on my fiancé pretty hard the last time we were here-"

"I'm sorry, what?" Ingrid interrupted her.

"Oh… So that's something that hasn't come up yet huh?" Emma said with a regretful tone.

"No. But it will tonight," she stated vehemently before taking a large pull from her glass.

"Ingrid, it was really nothing," Regina said as she kicked Emma under the table. "She was just stunned at seeing me again after such a long time and she-"

"But she knew you and Emma were together then, right? This was just before you asked Emma to move in with you? On her birthday weekend if I'm remembering correctly."

"Yes. And Regina shot her down, Mom. She put her in her place and the rest of the dinner was a really good time. So there's that…" Emma finished, unsure of how to rectify the ensuing awkwardness that they now found themselves in.

"That's alright," Ingrid said mostly to herself. "I'm going to ask her about it and if her story lines up with yours, she just won't be getting any from me for the rest of the week. I think that'll be a sufficient punishment.

"Ew. Mom. Tmi. Seriously," Emma replied in a whiny voice.

Regina couldn't help but to laugh at that and raise her glass in Ingrid's direction before taking another sip.

* * *

After they had all finished eating and the table was clear, Ingrid sat with Regina having a cup of coffee and discussing the different aspects of their jobs. Somehow this was the first time that the two women had been able to sit down together and talk about librarianship with each other. Emma soon rejoined them. "Sorry to interrupt the nerd fest that's happening in here right now, but I think it's time for dessert," she stated with a smirk.

"What do you mean, Em? I didn't bake anything for us for-" Regina started before she caught sight of Henry and Lucy walking into the dining room with a small ice cream cake balanced between them with two large numbered candles on it.

"I can't believe you trusted them to carry that in here," Regina chuckled.

"They kind of insisted that they be allowed to," Emma said. "And you know I can rarely say no to their combined cuteness," she stated with a smile.

Ingrid began to sing Happy Birthday and everyone but Regina immediately joined in as Emma took the cake from her children and put it onto the table for them. Regina blew out her candles as she wished for her family to always be able to be this happy. When she opened her eyes, she looked around at the smiles that each member of her family wore for her and she knew she didn't have to worry about her wish not coming true. "So how are we going to eat this cake without any plates or silverware…?" she asked to no one in particular.

"Oh, I got them! I didn't want to spoil the surprise," Emma called over her shoulder as she jogged from the room.

"While she's getting those, why don't my open present? The present that I brought you. From me. Just-I think you'll really love it," Ingrid said as she exhaled.

Regina couldn't help but to chuckle as she could see so much of Emma in her mother's rambling. "Okay, sure," Regina replied with a chuckle. "But I think I left it in the living room…"

"I got it, mommy!" Henry exclaimed before he raced from the room to retrieve her present.

Emma walked back into the room with five small plates, spoons and more napkins just as Henry was returning with the gift bag. Regina pulled the tissue paper out of the bag to find a scrapbook. She carefully lifted it up and onto the table. She ran her fingers lightly over the cover which sported the title, "The Story of the Swan-Mills."

Emma put the plates, napkins and utensils down to get a closer look at it over Regina's shoulder. "That's why you wanted to know what our names would be after we got married, isn't it?" Emma asked her mother with a grin.

"Guilty," Ingrid said with a smile and a shrug of her shoulders.

"How did you get these?" Regina asked in awe as she turned slowly thru the pages trying to take in all of the images. It only took her a few minutes but she was still stunned by the effort and love that went into her gift by the end. "Even the ones from today that Mal just took."

"Yes. She has a wonderful photo printer at her office. I just decided to take advantage of it before I brought your gift over," Ingrid replied.

"Mom, this is beautiful. How did you get so many of these? You weren't even at a lot of the places where they were taken," Emma asked.

"Well, it was definitely a group effort. When I first had the idea I just called and texted everyone to see if they had any good pictures of you all. I got such an amazing response that I thought I would need a second book. I actually gave you the ones that I didn't use. They're in the bag there," Ingrid pointed out.

"Thank you so much!" Regina said as she shot out of her chair and gave Ingrid a tight hug.

"Oh, it was nothing. It really was way easier than it looks. I guess I'm not the only one who's been cheering for you two from the start," Ingrid said as she let Regina go and was then immediately given a bear hug by Emma.

"This is honestly one of the best presents I've ever received," Regina said with a quiet sniffle.

"Oh, no, honey. I didn't mean to make you that emotional. I've just always been better at making gifts than buying them," Ingrid stated still holding Emma closely.

"Yup!" Emma said proudly. "I told you she gives the best presents," she stated with a huge smile.

"I only wish I knew I was going to be having dinner with you here tonight. I would have brought some of my homemade ice cream with me," Ingrid stated. "I still have a little over at Mal's."

"Oh man! And all we have is this stupid Carvel ice cream cake!" Emma replied.

"Calm down, dear," Regina chuckled. She had both Lucy and Henry in her lap as they looked thru the scrapbook together. "I think you'll survive."

"Yes, it'll be okay, honey," Ingrid said with a chuckle as she stood up to cut the cake. "Now let's enjoy this before it melts. Emma did you forget to bring a knife out?"

"Oh yeah. Let me just go and grab that. I think I saw a good one at Mal's if you guys want me to go and grab that real quick…." Emma suggested.

"No," both Ingrid and Regina stated adamantly in unison.


	32. Chapter 32

So this is the final chapter of this tale and it took me a while to write it. Writing this story and these characters has been such an amazing journey for me (and I hope for you too, dear readers). I'm definitely going to write more. I honestly kind of just wanted to see if I could do it. I think I did alright ;) Anyway, thank you so much to everyone who's read this and enjoyed the lives of these characters with me. It's truly been an honor for this lifelong and proud member of the Swen Nation.

* * *

"Dude, I'm not gonna lie. I'm still kinda surprised that you're not wearing a white tux right now," Ruby commented.

"I know right! But I only get to do this once. So I thought why not go for it in a pretty white dress," Emma replied with a small smile as she stood in front of a mirror swaying gently while admiring her dress.

"Well you look amazing, Swan," Jane added.

"Thanks. And you guys do too!"

"We know," the two best women replied in unison. They looked at each other both wearing matching arrogant grins.

Just then they all turned their heads towards the door as they heard a knock. Ingrid walked in before any of them could even respond and gasped out loud. "I almost can't believe how beautiful you look today, sweetie," she said softly as she walked over to her daughter.

"Mom, don't cry. You'll mess up your make-up," Emma responded as she turned away from the mirror to give her mother a tight hug. "And you were literally there to help me pick out my dress," she stated with a chuckle.

"I know, I know. But now with all of the final touches completed you look even more stunning. That Regina is a very lucky woman to be marrying you, sweetie," Ingrid said as she dabbed at her eyes with the tissue that Jane had stealthily handed to her.

"Thanks, Mom. But I think I'm the lucky one. I can't imagine how gorgeous she's going to look coming down the aisle. I feel like I might actually pass out or something," Emma said.

"Wow. Dramatic much, Em. We all know how pretty Gina is but give yourself a little credit. You're pretty hot yourself there," Ruby stated as she winked and shot finger guns at her best friend.

"Thanks, Rubes," Emma chuckled. "Can you two go and check to see if we're on time? We should be about ready to start."

"Sure, yeah, we're on it!" Ruby said as she stood up from the small couch where she and Jane were sitting. Jane stood up and followed her out of the room giving Emma a firm nod and a smile as she passed the bride to be.

"Okay, in all seriousness though, we've got to be ready to catch her if she does faint," Jane said to Ruby as soon as she closed the door behind her. "Have you seen Regina yet? Like I was seriously tempted to divorce my wife and ask Gina to marry me."

"Oh my God, I know! She is beyond breathtaking. Like I physically couldn't breathe for a few seconds when I saw her earlier."

"Well so do you think we should warn Emma? It'd be super embarrassing for her to pass out during her ceremony, right?" Jane asked.

"Of course it would. But I don't think I've seen her faint since I've known her. You've known her for way longer than me. Have you ever seen her do that?" Ruby asked back.

"Nah. Good point. Plus we don't want to take any of the surprise away from her."

"Yeah and I kind of can't wait to see her face when she sees her."

"Right?! It's going to be so priceless!" Jane exclaimed as they continued to make their way down the hallway to see if everything was on schedule.

* * *

"Oh mija, you look absolutely gorgeous!" Henry exclaimed as he walked into Regina's old bedroom and saw his daughter for the first time that day.

"Thank you, Daddy. I can't wait to see Emma though."

"I can't wait to see your face when you do see her," Cora stated with a smirk.

"What does that mean, Mom?"

"Nothing! Just that- I'm just glad that your father and I will be walking you down the aisle together so that if you feel faint we'll be there to hold you up," she responded with a playful smile and a wink.

"Where is Kat, mija?"

"Oh she went to go let Ruby, Jane and Emma know that I'm ready," Regina answered.

"Okay, well then I'll meet you girls by the backdoor," Henry stated as he turned to leave the room.

"Okay," Regina said before taking a large breath and smoothing out her dress as she turned to follow him. Cora stopped her before she could leave though. "What is it, Mom? C'mon, let's go! I wanna go marry the love of my life."

"I know, baby. I just want to stop and remember this moment," Cora said quietly as she took hold of Regina's forearms. She looked lovingly into her eyes before she said, "And also I think I'm finally allowed to say 'I told you so' dear." Cora turned toward the door and stood there with a wicked smirk as she waited for her daughter to walk thru it.

Regina couldn't help but to laugh at her. "I'll give you that one, Mom," she stated as she walked out of the door shaking her head and chuckling.

* * *

The brides to be had agreed that Emma and Ingrid would walk down the aisle before Regina and after the rest of the bridal party. So that Emma could then witness the entrance of her future wife just as everyone else would. For some reason, Regina got nervous right before she was about to be led down the aisle and given away by both of her parents. Henry and Cora could feel her physically shaking as they stood at the doorway to begin their walk. Regina took a deep breath and shook her head quickly before she looked at her parents to reassure them. "I'm okay. I don't think I've ever been this excited for anything before in my life," she stated softly. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. Just-get me to my wife," she said with one final deep breath.

As Emma looked up to see her future wife walking towards her, she had to will herself to keep breathing. Ruby and Jane exchanged knowing grins and glances, each physically prepared to respond if Emma needed them to. They knew that their friend would be fine though as they heard her breath out, "Oh my God. I'm marrying a goddess."

"That's right," Kathryn agreed. "And you better not break her heart in any way, shape or form or I will use all of my resources to come at you, Swan!" she whisper-shouted.

"Really, Kat?" Emma whispered out of the side of her mouth. "Now is the time you're choosing to give me the protective best friend speech. You couldn't've at least waited until the reception."

"Yeah...I'm sorry, Em. It just kind of came out. But hey, now that that's done good luck with your vows," she whispered back, giving Emma two thumbs up. Ruby and Jane could hardly contain their laughter at the exchange.

"Whatever, dude. You're not going to ruin this moment of me," Emma responded noncommittally. She had not once taken her eyes off of Regina who was mere steps away from her now. She reached down to take the brunette's hands as Henry and Cora released her and took their seats. The two women stood facing each other, hardly able to control their smiles as they lightly held hands between themselves.

"We've gathered here today, in the presence of family and friends to join Regina Teresa Mills and Emma Allison Swan in matrimony. We celebrate the coming together in love of these two women. We remember that marriage is a time when growing love is made public, when two people share mutual promises. We join in our support of them as they offer themselves to each other. We celebrate their joy, their love and their expectations," Zelena finished, wearing a huge smile on her face. She had found a way to still be a part of her little sister's wedding even though she couldn't be her maid of honor. Regina looked over to her big sister and gave her a small smile. She'd agreed to allow Zelena to officiate their wedding as soon as she had brought the idea to her, knowing how important it was to her. She was both proud and happy to have her sister there with her at that moment, one of the most important in her adult life. "And now Regina and Emma have agreed to exchange personal vows instead of reciting the usual, and let's be honest, boring ones," Zelena stated to a rolling responding chuckle from the crowd.

Emma went first. "Regina. I began calling you Gina on our children's first playdate and a little while later you let me call you my girlfriend. You have the distinction of being one of only two women on this planet who can say that I have loved them. From the moment I laid my eyes on you sitting on that park bench and realized who you were and that I could possibly be so lucky as to have such a gorgeous woman enter into my life, until now you've shown me each and every day that we're together that you love me back just as much as I know I love you. Not only that but you've given me even more family. It was just me and my mom for awhile there and then it's been just me and her and Henry for so long that being able to add to that dynamic was not something that I was actively searching for. But now I have a beautiful daughter-" Emma had to stop to take a breath and collect herself before she could continue. "And a second mom, and a first real dad. Two brothers, a sister and a niece and a nephew. That all love me as much as you do. I don't know if I've ever told you how much that means to this once orphaned little girl. But it does. It means the world to me, Gina. And I'm so so glad that we found each other and can now make a life together."

Emma had stopped speaking kind of suddenly but audible sniffles could be heard throughout the gathering and Ruby, Jane and Kathryn were all now trying to surreptitiously dab their eyes with tissues.

It was then Regina's turn. "I've done this once before. But I know that this will be the last time that I say vows to anyone. Emma, you had me at 'hey.'" A few chuckles could be heard from the audience before Regina continued. "From the moment that you shook my hand at that park I immediately knew that I wanted to get to know you better. Even if it was just as friends. Although I had to admit that I thought you were one of the most beautiful women that I had ever laid my eyes on. After I lost Daniel, I knew that I wanted to find a woman to spend the rest of my days with. With me and my daughter. But none of the women that I met before you were ever even close to being good enough to meet Luce. So I think it was fate that it was thru her that I was introduced to you. And that you would quickly, almost instantly, become the love of my life. I cannot and do not ever want to imagine my life without you and Henry in it. And I will love you until the end of my days. I've never been happier and I'm beyond excited that I'll get to call you my wife from today until the end of our days on this earth. I love you so much!"

And with that statement the two women could no longer hold back from each other and simultaneously decided to skip straight to the kissing part.

Okay…" Zelena uttered as they broke apart from each other to cheering from their guests. "Well I'm still going to say this next part because I practiced it and even though you two just said it all to each other, I'd still like to do my part," she stated with a confident nod of her head. Emma and Regina stood with their arms around each other's waists both facing Zelena as she finished her pronouncement. "May you always need one another, not so much to fill the emptiness as to help each other know your fullness. May you want one another, but not out of lack. May you embrace one another, but not encircle one another. May you succeed in all important ways with each other, and not fail in the little graces. Look for things to praise, often say 'I love you' and take no notice of small faults. May you have happiness, and may you find it making one another happy. May you have love and may you find it in loving one another. But I'm sure you two will have no problems doing any of that. Now which best woman has the rings?" Zelena asked as she looked in their direction. Both women each pulled a ring from their pockets. They handed both of them to Emma who gave hers to Regina. They put their rings on each others fingers and turned back towards Zelena. "You've already kissed the bride….but I guess you can do it again for prosperity's sake," Zelena said with a faux dramatic roll of the eyes.

They did amongst even louder cheers this time. They hugged each other for a little while when they broke their kiss. "This is the happiest day of my life," Emma said softly into Regina's ear.

"Me too, love. I'm so happy to call myself Swan-Mills," Regina responded.

Emma laughed as they turned to face everyone holding hands. And then proceeded to make their way back down the aisle together finally and officially able to call each other wife.

* * *

"And now, for the first time, Mrs. and Mrs. Swan-Mills!" Robin announced as the two mothers made their way to the dance floor.

"It's such a gorgeous day today, babe," Emma stated as they glided across the floor perfectly in step.

"Yeah. We're so lucky it didn't rain today. Although I'm pretty sure my mom would've had a contingency plan for that."

"Yup! That's a fact. And there's so many people here who I feel like I haven't seen in forever."

"If you mean, Mary Margaret and David, I've got you beat there. I haven't seen those two since they graduated high school."

"Well, yeah, them and Killian too. I really miss not working with him sometimes…"

Everyone had joined them by then and the couple smiled and managed to hold small conversations with the different couples and dance partners as they spun gracefully around the dance floor.

Since most of their guests knew each other in some way, the couple had decided to not be strict and assign anyone seats at the reception. After serving themselves from the buffet, the guests were free to gather and dine together at their discretion. It was then that Regina and Emma had to decided to split up in order to better greet their guests.

"Hey tell your husband thank you again for DJing," Emma said to Zelena.

"No problem, Ems. He's loves getting to do it for someone other than our unsuspecting neighbors," Zelena replied, holding her drink up towards her new sister-in-law.

"Em, your vows were beautiful. You really killed it, sis," Jefferson said with a smile.

"Thanks, Jeff. The hardest part was keeping them so short."

"Dude, that was the short version?"

"Yeah the first draft was like five minutes longer than that," Emma responded. "It took me like a week to get down to that final version."

"Well they were amazing," Zelena chimed in. "So sweet and honest."

"Yeah and thanks for the shout out, by the way," Jefferson added.

"Well. That's how I feel. You guys knew that already didn't you?" Emma asked a little apprehensively.

The two siblings could sense the doubt in Emma's question and both immediately stood up to give her a small group hug.

"Never doubt how much we love you, Emma," Zelena stated as they parted.

"Ditto," Jefferson said. "And also if you ever even think about hurting Gina I'll be on you like white on rice," he stated with a predatory grin.

"Okay, Jeff," Emma chuckled as she turned to walk away.

"No seriously," Zelena said as she lightly grabbed Emma's arm. "We mean it," she stated with an even scarier grin.

"Okay...guys. I hear ya. But you really have nothing to worry about there," Emma replied.

"Good," they said together, their faces relaxing into their more natural smiles.

"Jeez. First Kat, now them," Emma muttered to herself as she walked to the next table. "They really couldn't have done this before my wedding day."

* * *

"No way! _He's_ your informant," Emma exclaimed. She had made her way over to the next table that included the couples of Kathryn and Frederick and Killian and Tink.

"A good beat cop always has his ears to the ground. You could learn a thing a two from him, Swan," Killian responded.

"Actually, Frederick is looking into joining your unit soon, Em," Kathryn stated.

"What do you mean my unit… OH! Fred, you're gonna become a Deputy with Mulan, August, and me? Dude that's awesome! With all of us working there together, we're so going to be running that place once Graham is gone!"

"Whoa there. Slow down, Swan. I'm not retiring anytime soon," Graham said as he had just so happened to walk past and overhear that part of their conversation.

"Sorry, boss. Just kidding!" Emma called out after him. "Hope that doesn't come back to bite me in the ass anytime soon," Emma said with a grimace.

David and Mary Margaret were also sitting at the table. As Emma suddenly felt arms encircle her from behind, she instinctively closed her eyes and leaned back into the embrace. Regina kissed her cheek before she said, "Hello again, my wife."

"And hello to you, wifey," Emma responded.

"I distinctly remember telling you that you were not allowed to call me that in public," Regina whispered into her ear.

"Okay, I'll save it for tonight then," Emma said with a grin. She finally reopened her eyes. "Oh hey have you seen David and Mary Margaret yet?"

"No actually I haven't. Hey you two! Thanks so much for coming. I literally don't think I've seen you since-"

"Zelena's graduation. Also David's graduation. Hi Regina!" Mary Margaret shot up from her chair and ran over to give Regina a quick hug. Regina barely had time to react and let go of Emma before she was being squeezed by the small brunette.

"I still cannot get over one of the best employees I've ever had being married to Zelena's little sister," David mused as he had also stood up to give both brides hugs.

"And I might never get over you only knowing her as Zelena's little sister," Emma chuckled in response.

"You two look so beautiful today!" Mary Margaret said happily.

"Well you've never not looked beautiful, Regina," David then stated.

"Okay…." Mary Margaret replied, giving her husband a cautionary look.

"So...have you seen our children yet, dear?" Regina asked Emma, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah," Emma chuckled. "I think they're where those two are headed," Emma said, pointing past David, who was being pulled to the dance floor and simultaneously reprimanded by Mary Margaret.

"Okay. Wanna join me for another dance then?" Regina asked, taking Emma's hand and leading her in that direction before she even answered. "Thanks for coming, Tink. Killian. Fred," Regina called back over her shoulder.

As the newlyweds made their way back to the dance floor, they noticed that a small circle had formed around something that was happening in the middle. They squeezed thru the crowd just in time to see Belle screaming, "Yes!" and Ruby rising up from one knee to hug her before pulling back to place a ring on the librarian's finger. They had just finished their short celebratory kiss when Emma said, "Really, dude?! You trying to upstage me at my own wedding? What kind of a best woman are you?" Emma asked with a grin. She walked over to the newly minted fiancés and gave each of them a hug. Regina followed suit.

"I'm sorry, Ems. I couldn't wait any longer. It just seemed like the right time and-"

"I was actually going to ask you tonight, Red," Belle interrupted her with a shy grin.

"Really? When?"

"Pretty much as soon as we got home. I had everything already all set up."

"Oh, so that's why you didn't want me to come home to grab my wallet in between my leaving this morning and you coming to the ceremony," Ruby replied with a grin.

"Home?" Emma asked. "When did you two move in together?"

"I gave up my place about a month ago. But since I had a normal amount of stuff in my apartment," Ruby said, giving Emma a pointed look, "I was able to move in with only Belle and Jane's help."

"Wait. So Jane knew you two were moving in together but you neglected to tell me?" Emma then asked.

"Yeah….sorry about that. We were gonna have a housewarming when you two got back from your honeymoon. We just didn't want to ruin your wedding with our news, that's all."

"Well thank you for being so considerate, Ruby, but you know we would have been happy to hear your news. And it wouldn't have ruined anything for us," Regina stated calmly.

"I told you you should've told her, Rubes," Jane said, stepping towards them and into the conversation. "You know how whiny she can be when she knows she's being left out of something."

"That's not true!" Emma responded childishly.

"Emma did you just stomp your foot when trying to prove your point?" Maura asked with a chuckle.

"No," she responded in a still whiny voice.

"It's going to be okay, love," Regina said, hugging Emma close to her. "I'll make it all better later," she said as she rubbed up and down Emma's back and kissed her forehead.

"Wow. Now that's love," Jane stated with a chuckle.

* * *

"I can't believe it's their first day of school already," Emma stated as she stood with Regina and they watched their children run hand in hand into the building.

"The day that we've dreaded for so long is finally here," Regina replied.

"At least they have each other. I'm sure they'll be fine though. Right?" Emma asked, turning to face Regina.

"Yes, love," Regina chuckled in response. "They'll be fine. I think it's us who are going to take a little bit longer to adjust."

"They're officially in school now. Before we know it they're gonna be teenagers and dating and then off to college and having kids and we'll be grandmothers. Oh my god, Gina, we're gonna be grandmas someday!" Emma finally finished her mad rant.

"Hey, hey, calm down, dear. It's only their first day of kindergarten. You don't have to map out the rest of their lives for them so soon," Regina chuckled. "Come on, let's go," she said, taking Emma's hand and leading her down the street but in the opposite direction from where they had parked.

"Where are we going?"

* * *

The couple stood on the edge of the park where they first met.

"I still can't believe I never once saw you at the library before that day," Emma stated.

"Em, you still only come in to pick me up from work sometimes," Regina replied with a sceptical raise of her eyebrow.

"And to have lunch sometimes too," Emma responded. "Hey what can I say? Even a hot librarian can't get me to use our library more. I don't know what to tell you there, babe." Regina laughed and playfully swatted her arm. "Who would've guessed that I'd be married to the gorgeous mother of my son's best friend who I said hi to on that park bench almost a year ago," Emma mused.

"We should make that date our anniversary," Regina stated softly.

"Really? Not the day of the first playdate?"

"No. The day that a beautiful though not too well dressed mother introduced herself to me while I was enjoying a book on a park bench where my son played with his best friend. That's the day that we first started this thing," Regina acknowledged, nodding her head firmly.

"Agreed," Emma responded enthusiastically. "So you noticed the crappy clothes I was wearing that day, huh?"

"Yes, dear," Regina chuckled. "They were kind of hard to miss. I didn't judge you though. You were still gorgeous even in your laundry day clothes," she said as she walked away from Emma towards their bench with a grin.

"I almost didn't talk to you because of them actually," Emma said as she caught up to her wife. "That and I wasn't expecting you to be so damn gorgeous. Your stupid hotness really threw me off."

"Thank you. And please make sure you tell me about my stupid hotness as often as possible, dear."

"Oh, I plan on it. I'll do it almost every day for the rest of our lives if you want me to," Emma said as she sat down and immediately wrapped her arm around her wife's waist, bringing her closer to her.

"It's cold," Emma said after a few minutes of them sitting there and cuddling.

"Yeah, but it good."

"Yeah, it's nice. Sitting here with you. Apparently quoting _Imagine Me & You_.

"What do you mean? What's that?" Regina asked innocently.

"NO. Do not tell me that I married a woman who has not seen one of the cutest, if not _the_ cutest, lesbian romantic comedies of all time!" Emma said, sitting up straighter but still holding Regina against her.

Regina couldn't continue to hold in her laughter. "Of course, I've seen that movie, Em. I just wanted to see your reaction."

"Yeah, well…. I still love you."

"I would hope so," Regina responded with a grin. "So what do want to do with the rest of our day now?"

"I don't know. It was your idea to take the day off so we could send them off to school. I thought we both could've just gone in a little late."

"Well we have to be there to pick them up after school too," Regina replied in an uncharacteristically whiny voice. "How about we head over to Granny's for a second breakfast?"

"Babe, what are you a hobbit now?"

"Now those movies I haven't seen. Although I do get the reference since I've read all of those books."

" _All_ of his books. Really?"

"Yes, really."

" _The Hobbit_ , understandable. That one's short. I still don't get how they made three movies out of that book. But like _The Silmarillion_? You've read that one too?"

"I've actually never heard of it," Regina responded airily.

"Really."

"No, not really, Em. I'm a librarian. Of course I know about J.R.R. Tolkien's posthumous works."

"How do I ever forget how much of a dork I've married?"

"I've told you before and I'll tell you again, I prefer to be called a nerd," Regina stated as she stood up and Emma followed her.

"Okay, but after Granny's I know what we're going to do with the rest of our day now."

"And what's that, dear?"

" _Lord the Rings_ movie marathon! We just might be able to finish it before we have to pick up Henry and Luce. Wait, hold on. Let me do the math on that… Nope. I lied. We won't have time to finish it. _The Return of the King_ is over three hours long."

"What?! No! How did people sit in theaters for that long without a break?" Regina exclaimed.

"Babe, trust me, it's because it doesn't even feel like it's that long once you get into it."

"Okay, well, I guess I'll trust you," Regina replied as she put her arm around Emma's waist and they began to walk back to their car.

"Good to know," Emma responded with a chuckle as she pulled Regina closer and placed a kiss to her temple. She turned to look over her shoulder once more at the bench where she first saw her now wife. And she still couldn't believe how lucky she was.

Regina looked up at Emma as she looked back and easily read her thoughts, knowing that she too was the luckiest woman she knew at having found the woman that became her wife.

* * *

And they lived happily ever after... (Sorry I just couldn't resist ;)


End file.
